Conventional wisdom holds that it is impossible to be all things to all people. This is true. Within the subset of
humanity known as Jayhawk Nation, however, I feel that it is possible for one publication to serve the needs of
every person who loves Kansas basketball. This inaugural edition of the Maple Street Press Jayhawk Tip-Off is
my most sincere attempt to achieve that end.
In order to explore everything there is to know and speculate about in the upcoming season, as well as
recount some of the tradition we all hold so dear, I had to assemble an excellent team of writers. I was able to do
that, and getting first crack at reading their contributions was one of the real joys of this process.
Within these pages, Marco Anskis and Cory Brenneman break down the schedule, providing key information on each opponent Kansas will face in the regular season. Eric Bossi and Dan Hanner analyze the KU
newcomers, and give their informed opinions on how those fresh faces will mesh with the veterans on the
squad. Jacob Osterhout takes a step back to look at the big picture, assessing where the Jayhawks fit on the
national scene. Bruno Chu gives rare insight into the strategy and tactics of a Bill Self-coached team, and Mike
Miller profiles budding Jayhawk legend Sherron Collins. Lest all this thinking give you a headache, Rick Paulus
chimes in to bring the funny, and Michael Atchison throws a little verbal gasoline on the raging KU vs. Mizzou
bonfire.
I personally got a chance to write about everything that interests me, from Roy Williams’s eye-opening
second season on Mount Oread, to KU’s quest to shed the “basketball school” label and excel in all sports.
I’ve had those thoughts in my head for a long time now, and it’s wonderful to be able to share them with likeminded fans.
Other than my own, the byline you will see most often in these pages is that of Ken Davis. He gets his own
paragraph here because he went above and beyond the call of duty for a writer. Not only did he turn in excellent features on the 1952 championship squad and Kansas icon Danny Manning, he also got together with his
son, Joe, to contribute a pitch-perfect remembrance of the late Dr. Bob Frederick. When I was having trouble
tracking down an interview subject, Ken got me in touch with living legend Bud Stallworth. Suffice to say that
Ken was instrumental to the Jayhawk Tip-Off experience, and you’re in for a treat when you read his work.
Finally, the eye-popping look of this Annual is due to the fine folks at Maple Street Press: Jim Walsh, Ryan
Bray, Jon Franke, Bryan Davidson, and probably several others I never got to meet. All of the stat boxes, play
diagrams, photos, and good layout decisions are theirs. Kudos especially to Mr. Walsh, who had the vision to
accept my request that I be allowed to preach to the greatest choir in college hoops.
I sincerely hope you find this publication to be informative, entertaining, and indispensible as you enjoy
the 2009–10 team.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Eric Angevine
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’m so glad I finally get a chance to thank my wife Molly in print. It’s one of the few benefits of being married to a writer.
Without her love, patience, and support—not to mention her knowledge of Excel—this Annual would not exist. My son
Jack made do with less daddy time this summer; fortunately, he’d do anything for his Jayhawks. Thanks also to my parents,
who have kept me in KU shirts, hats, mugs, and other accessories since I moved away from Lawrence; and my brother, who
is always game to talk hoops. Much appreciation to Marco, the best business partner a guy could ask for. I’d also like to
acknowledge the steadfast support of my desk chair, which was with me all the way, and bears the indelible imprint of my
behind as a testament to its endurance.

MAPLE STREET PRESS

J A Y H Aff W K
tip-o

2009

c

o

n

t

e

n

2010

t

s

2009–2010 K a ns a s B a sk e t b a l l

5 What It Takes
by Eric Angevine
A look at a few questions that Bill Self will have to answer on the long road to Indianapolis.

15 2009–2010 Jayhawk Player Profiles
51 New Faces In The Phog
by Eric Bossi
The motto on the Kansas flag means “To the Stars Through Difficulty.” It’s also a fairly
accurate recap of the recruiting trail for KU’s class of 2009.

12

55 The First Season
by Marco Anskis
The college basketball season has three parts: the non-conference slate, conference play,
and the postseason. Here’s how the journey begins for Kansas.

61 The Usual Suspects
by Cory Brenneman
The names on the front of the jerseys remain the same, but the 2009–10 Big 12 season may
have a few surprises in store.

67 How To Heckle The Rest Of The Big 12
by Rick Paulas
Few moments are quite as enjoyable as the perfectly-executed heckle, here are some
suggestions for how to create the greatest possible heckles for the rest of the Big 12.

69 Seven Keys To Reaching The Final Four
by Jacob E. Osterhout

47

Combine ingredients and increase heat slowly. Remove from the oven in April and enjoy!

87 An Embarrassment Of Riches
by Dan Hanner
In order to be an elite team in 2009–10, Kansas will need to make some improvements on
offense.

89

91 The Best Of The Rest
by Jacob E. Osterhout
How the Jayhawks can expect to match up with other highly-touted programs should
they meet in the postseason.

95 Renaissance Manning
by Ken Davis
A bright future on the bench awaits Kansas great Danny Manning… if he wants it.

100

99 The Jayhawk Go-Giver
by Ken and Joe Davis
Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk. Why Bob Frederick was so special to so many.

103 An Open Letter From The Dark Side
by Michael Atchison
A Missouri fan checks in on the status of the Jayhawks-Tigers rivalry.

105 Chasing The Directors’ Cup
by Eric Angevine
Athletic director Lew Perkins thinks Kansas can compete in more sports, and he’s
putting his money where his mouth is.

h i s t o ry a n d t r a di t i o n
111 Phog’s Golden Season

110

by Ken Davis
Phog Allen’s Jayhawks won KU’s first NCAA championship in 1952, but that was just
the beginning. Relive the season from opening tip to gold medal.

115 In The Rafters With Bud Stallworth
by Eric Angevine
“When you’re playing at an institution like the University of Kansas… you have to
make a change in how you think about things.”

119 Mario’s Make Led To Darrell’s Dunks In San Antonio
by Bruno Chu
The end of the 2008 NCAA Tournament was an instant classic. Here’s how it happened.

121 Roy’s Boys Took Flight Twenty Years Ago
by Eric Angevine
Kansas followed a championship season with probation and a new coach. Early returns
from the 1989–90 campaign announced that the Jayhawks were back in the title hunt.

121
Maple Street Press LLC and Jayhawk Tip-Off are in no way
affiliated with the University of Kansas or the NCAA. The
opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors
and not necessarily those of Maple Street Press.
All product names and brand names mentioned in this
book are trademarks or service marks of their respective
companies. Any omission or misuse (of any kind) of service
marks or trademarks should not be regarded as intent to
infringe upon the property of others. The publisher respects
all marks used by companies, manufacturers, and developers as a means to distinguish their products.
Printed in the USA

2009â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2010
Kansas

What it
Takes

The Questions Bill Self Has to Answer
on the Long Road to Indianapolis
by Eric Angevine

O

n paper, this year’s Kansas Jayhawks look like a championshipcaliber squad.
If you’ve been a college basketball fan for any length of time,
the term “on paper” has probably lost all meaning for you. Paper
is a flimsy material to pin your hopes on. Are you afraid of a “paper tiger?”
Probably not.
Memphis Tigers? Clemson Tigers? Missouri Tigers? These flesh-andblood teams are more of a challenge.
All you need to do is look at the last two Jayhawk teams to go all the way
in the Big Dance to see that fate is fickle. The 1988 champions were nicknamed “Danny and the Miracles” following their surprising run to Kemper
Arena. It’s a backhanded compliment at best. The subtext is that observers
knew Danny Manning was a winner, but didn’t have much respect for the
no-names that made up the rest of the team. On paper, they were a six seed
reeling in the wake of an injury-plagued season. On the hardwood, they were
the best team at the right time.
The 2008 team was marked for greatness from day one. Deep and
experienced, with size and speed to burn; thoroughbreds expected to run near
the front of the pack from wire to wire. Nonetheless, they carried the stigma
of “chokers” that had been laid on the Crimson and Blue in the wake of six #1
seeds in 20 years without a championship, and some brutal first-round upsets
in the new millennium. Pundits began to question the team’s heart, Bill Self’s
coaching, and even the wisdom of having too many great players with no
dominant superstar. Seems kind of silly in retrospect, doesn’t it?
All of this is a rather longwinded way of saying that we have another
enigma on our hands this season. Last season’s Sweet 16 appearance by a

Basketball

Bill Self has one championship under his belt. Players and
fans alike want to see him cut down the nets again.
largely inexperienced group, hard on the heels of Bill Self’s
first championship, may have boosted expectations to an
unreasonable level.
A second championship in the new millennium would
create whispers of a dynasty in the making. But let’s not put
the cart before the horse. There are a few questions that must
be answered throughout the upcoming season if the paper
champions are to win out on the hardwood.

Can This Team Make the Leap from
Good to Great?
Following the 2008 championship, Kansas lost its entire
starting lineup and a key reserve with starting experience to a
combination of graduation and early NBA entry.
Jayhawk fans can be forgiven for wondering whether
their team could compete the following season. With the gift
of hindsight, it’s easy to see that Sherron Collins was ready to
lead the team, that Cole Aldrich would blossom into a superstar, and that one of the new arrivals would assert himself as a
third scorer and immediate contributor. At the time, however,
most of the facts now in evidence were speculation, at best.
Bill Self has proven himself to be a master at building
his team in layers. He brought in three big men in Quintrell

6 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Thomas (who has since transferred), along with Markieff and
Marcus Morris from Philadelphia, to vie for the post slots
vacated by Darnell Jackson, Darrell Arthur, and Sasha Kaun.
With Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich coming back, Self
had a powerful nucleus to build around. Junior college transfers Mario Little and Tyrone Appleton came in to provide
instant experience, and Tyshawn Taylor and Travis Releford
joined the guard rotation alongside holdovers Tyrel Reed and
Brady Morningstar.
It was a nice blend of established talent, skilled newcomers, and experienced transfers, but so much was still up in the
air. Which new players would assert themselves? Would any
of the newcomers play defense at the level Bill Self requires?
Where would all of the minutes go?
You know what happened. A very young team played well
beyond its years, winning the regular-season Big 12 crown,
and advancing to the Sweet 16 before bowing to Michigan
State. At some point, hubris began to creep in. Some fans
began to dream of a Final Four in what many had assumed
would be a low-profile rebuilding year. They mistook a good
team for a great one.
Sure, signs of greatness were there. Any team with
Kansas-level talent can get hot and make a run, especially
with the high-low game in such capable hands. But the danger
signs were there, too, evident to anyone who has followed KU
basketball for a decade or so.
The fourth game of the season was a neutral-court battle
with Syracuse at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Some
courts are more neutral than others, and the Jayhawks built
a 13-point lead in front of what amounted to a home crowd.
That’s when the freshman yips kicked in, as Syracuse switched
from its famous zone and went man-to-man against the young
team, creating turnovers and clawing back into the game,
eventually winning in overtime.
After cruising for a couple more weeks, KU returned to
the Sprint Center to face a UMass team in disarray following
a coaching change and the installation of a new offensive system. The Minutemen dominated early, playing physically and
picking off soft passes from the baby Jays. To their credit, the
’Hawks fought their way back into the game and had a chance
at the win, only to have the opportunity trickle away off the
fingers of shot-blocking center Tony Gaffney.
Ensuing road games further exposed the Jayhawks’
lack of scoring options. Arizona took care of the ball and
capitalized on KU turnovers to blast the visitors in Tucson. A
disastrous visit to East Lansing saw several Jayhawks in foul
trouble, leading to Bill Self’s uncharacteristic comment about
Markieff Morris: “He thinks he’s a championship wrestler the
way he mauls everybody.”
A loss at Missouri was not unexpected, but early March

brought a 19-point destruction at the hands of a severely
undermanned Texas Tech squad that nauseated any KU fan
who had the misfortune to tune in. Baylor booted Kansas
unceremoniously from the Big 12 Tournament, and Michigan
State ended the NCAA Tournament run after Kansas defeated
a couple of mid-majors.
It sounds like a bad season when you look at it that way,
but it clearly wasn’t. A dominant run through the Big 12 was a
high point of the season, but poor play against elite competition was the smoking gun that pointed to a short postseason
for the Jayhawks.
So what’s to keep that from happening this season? For
one thing, Tyshawn Taylor built upon his successful freshman
campaign by playing internationally with FIBA over the
summer. He led an all-star team of college underclassmen to a
gold medal in New Zealand, past national teams that practice
together for months for just such occasions. He should come
back with even more confidence and poise, locking up the
two-guard spot.
A more complete big-man rotation should help, too. If
Markieff Morris can get his fouling problems under control,
he’ll see more court time. If he can’t get it together, Jeff
Withey, Thomas Robinson, and Markieff’s own brother will

be there to grab some PT.
Last year’s shortish, three-guard lineup should benefit
from the addition of Xavier and C.J. Henry, both of whom are
in the 6'6" range, allowing them to play more of a small forward’s game. Marcus Morris can create real match-up issues if
he gets his wish to play more on the wing as well.
This year’s team has more talent providing more depth.
Bill Self has recruited exactly the players he needs to fill in the
gaps last year’s team struggled with. Senior leadership at the
point, an established third scoring option, and more choices
up front make for a great team. The addition of an NBAready freshman in the person of Xavier Henry makes this look
like a Final Four team.

Can the Jayhawks Find A Regular
Rotation?
Take a dollar out of your pocket. Look at the back of the bill,
and you’ll see your 2009–10 Kansas Jayhawks. They look a lot
like that pyramid.
The broad, strong base is made up of underclassmen, the
fruit of two high impact recruiting classes following the 2008
championship season, which simultaneously raised Kansas’s
profile as a destination program and emptied the roster of

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall
a deft touch when setting the lineup each season. It’s a task that
sounds easy from a distance—with so much talent, what’s the
problem?—but keeping a group of star players happy with a
limited number of meaningful minutes has got to be tough.
Here’s where crusty old conventional wisdom collides
with reality. Does a great college team really need an NBAstyle rotation to rely on? Over the course of any given season
at KU, a rather obvious starting five usually shakes out. These
are the guys who are typically going to play around 30 minutes per game every time out, barring injury. Clichéd thinking
would hold that a coach has a designated sixth man off the
bench, and one or two role players who spell the starters or
provide specialized defensive skills. The rest get splinters and
DNPs in the box score.
If anything, the 2008 national championship team
showed that it’s possible to think outside the box when dealing with an uber-talented lineup. In two areas, especially, refusing to be doctrinaire about playing time paid big dividends
for Self and his team.
First, the frontcourt situation. In the 2006–07 season,
defensive-minded center Sasha Kaun had started in the middle
regularly, while Darnell Jackson came off the bench. In the
senior season for both players, Kaun again started in the early
going, but a game of three-card monte erupted, with the
Russian, Jackson, and Darrell Arthur each averaging between
15–25 minutes per game in various combinations. Jackson,
despite being around four inches shorter than Kaun, eventually took over the official starting duties by December after
displaying a new body and a much stronger offensive presence.
But Kaun still got plenty
of floor time, and the
luxury of having three
effective big men was a
real boon for a team that
went on the deepest of
runs in March.
In a similar fashion, the backcourt in
’07–08 played to KU’s
strengths: a plethora
of skilled guards. Surehanded, levelheaded
Russell Robinson
tended to start at
point, alongside charismatic shooter Mario
Chalmers. Robinson’s
ability to lock down his
opponent and generate
Finding enough minutes for the Kansas bench will be one of Bill Self’s greatest challenges.
steals as a defender gave

8 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

experienced players, making room for those excited kids who
wanted to be a part of the Crimson and Blue experience.
Four current players—Tyshawn Taylor, Travis Releford,
and the Morris twins—return as sophomores, with former
classmate Quintrell Thomas opting to transfer to UNLV. Five
more players will make their Allen Fieldhouse debuts this
year, including redshirt sophomore Jeff Withey, who fled the
chaos surrounding the Arizona Wildcats and has yet to play
an official collegiate minute after sitting out a transfer season.
There are three freshmen of the usual variety in Xavier
Henry, Elijah Johnson, and Thomas Robinson. Then there’s
C.J. Henry, a 23-year-old just starting to use his collegiate
eligibility after four years of minor league baseball. It’s hard to
tell how baseball maturity and basketball rust will factor into
his first year on campus.
The next row of pyramid blocks are the juniors. They’re
a mixed bag, with key player Cole Aldrich atop the group,
important contributor Tyrel Reed joining him, and seldomused bench players Conner Teahan and Chase Buford rounding out the class. They form that middle layer of experienced
players who know their roles in Bill Self’s system.
Nearing the apex, we have burgeoning Jayhawk legend
Sherron Collins as the only four-year senior on the squad.
Alongside him is Mario Little, who never got into the flow
of his first season as a junior college transfer on Mount
Oread, due to a litany of unfortunate injuries and a crowded
frontcourt.
That all-seeing eye on top of the structure belongs to Bill
Self. In his six years at Kansas, the 46-year-old coach has shown

What it Takes
who can make good cases for expanded roles: Henry’s older
brother C.J. is one; Marcus Morris has expressed a desire to
play more as a small forward; Tyrel Reed, Travis Releford,
and Mario Little all have experience in Bill Self’s system. And
let’s not overlook incoming recruit Elijah Johnson, who can
play either guard position.
When you look at it that way, settling on a rotation isn’t
such an enviable job. Tyrone Appleton and Quintrell Thomas
left KU after one year of riding the pine, and a similar
shakeout could occur after the upcoming season, especially if
Xavier Henry somehow decides to blow off NBA riches and
stay for a sophomore year. Regardless, Bill Self will more than
likely continue to find creative ways to use the bounty he has
recruited to Lawrence. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks.
And why he’s favored to add another championship banner to
the Fieldhouse rafters long before another 20 years can go by.

KU’s youth showed in big-time games last season, as in
this non-conference loss to Syracuse.
him the advantage in securing the opening gig. But there was
no way the team would be well served with Sherron Collins
wasting away on the bench, so the Chicago native came
into the game as an aggressive change of pace when needed,
culminating in his late-game heroics against Memphis in San
Antonio.
There’s nothing to stop this year’s team from playing
the same way, but the dividing lines are not quite so clear
yet. In the frontcourt this season, Cole Aldrich is clearly the
man, and the team is best served by having him on the floor
as much as possible. He’s simply too good on offense and
defense for anyone else on the roster to provide the same
value in relief. The Morris twins are KU’s most experienced
big men outside of Aldrich; 6’9” freshman Thomas Robinson
and 7’0” Arizona transfer Jeff Withey will be playing catch-up
for a while before they can put in solid minutes.
In the backcourt, the situation is much more fluid.
Collins and Taylor will start as guards, and Xavier Henry will
most likely play the Brandon Rush role at the three. Brady
Morningstar has many of the Russell Robinson qualities
mentioned above, and will likely be the preferred backup in
most situations. But there are plenty of guys on the bench

Let’s get one thing straight: Kansas already had a powerful
recruiting class in place for 2009, even before the Henry
brothers decommitted from Memphis in the wake of a
coaching change. With Elijah Johnson in the backcourt,
and Thomas Robinson and Jeff Withey down low, Bill Self
had lined up understudies for the juniors and seniors on the
roster, securing the team’s immediate future.
When John Calipari left Memphis, and the Henry
brothers were back on the market, it would have been foolish
not to make a run at such a talented package deal. It could be
the difference between making the Elite Eight and a national
championship. The fact that C.J. Henry, a former first-round
MLB draft choice, was willing to play as a walk-on made the

Sherron Collins returned to Kansas for his senior season
with one goal in mind: a national championship.
Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 9

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall

prospect even more appealing.
While C.J. Henry alone would have been a strong addition to the team, his brother Xavier was
considered the true prize. Make no mistake:
Xavier Henry could play in the NBA
right now if it weren’t for that pesky rule
that keeps players from entering the draft
until they are 19 years of age. The younger
Henry could have opted to play overseas,
a la Brandon Jennings, but seemed more
interested in playing for a top-flight college
program. He narrowed his choices down to
two: follow Calipari to Kentucky, or attend
his parents’ alma mater, KU. Either way,
most pundits expect the explosive combo
guard to bolt for the NBA after one year of
being a student-athlete.
The Kansas basketball team has had a
wealth of experience with game-changing,
one-hit wonders. Carmelo Anthony, the
most successful one-year player to date,
helped Syracuse hold Kansas back from
the 2003 title. Two more spectacular temps
came to the Big 12 in successive seasons,
with Kevin Durant facing KU twice as a
Tyshawn Taylor’s emergence as a solid starter and third scoring option
Texas Longhorn (losing both times), and
makes this year’s KU team more dangerous.

Kansas has had multiple encounters with one-and-done
superstars. Can Xavier Henry emulate Melo’s success
in the postseason?

Michael Beasley managing a split with the Jayhawks during
his brief time in the Little Apple. Derrick Rose led Memphis
to the national title game against KU, but fell just short of
one final win for his college career.
These four familiar cases should illustrate something
meaningful about short-term players: they rarely fare well
when they’re expected to single-handedly carry a team all
the way. Kevin Durant was a singular talent, one of the most
exciting opponents Kansas has ever seen, but his teammates
too often stood around and watched him dazzle. When elite
opponents really wanted to stop the Longhorns, they moreor-less let Durant get his double-double and kept the rest
of the team quiet. And it worked. The 2007 version of the
Longhorns didn’t make it past the tournament’s first weekend.
Beasley, on the other hand, had a more assertive supporting cast. 6'6" Bill Walker was an excellent complement to
Beasley in the frontcourt, providing a duo that was difficult
for most opponents to manage. The team’s guard play was
a bit shaky, however, and that doomed the Wildcats to a
second-round exit in 2008, as well.
Rose actually had a pretty sweet setup. The 2007–08
Memphis team was loaded with strong, fast athletes, and
played Calipari’s “Princeton on Steroids” system—a version
of the Dribble-Drive Motion offense that Travis Ford recently brought to Oklahoma State. Rose was dynamite from the
get-go, and almost sunk Kansas in the final game but for a few

What it Takes
miscues. There’s no doubt it could have gone the other way,
but there’s a reason experienced players are often able to fight
their way through misfortune, as Sherron Collins did in that
very same contest, where a freshman might not. Sometimes
basketball, like football, is a game of inches.
Which brings us to Carmelo Anthony. As charismatic
and skilled as Anthony was as a freshman, he did not have to
carry the Orange. Fellow freshman Gerry McNamara had a
strong perimeter game, and Hakim Warrick was a beast down
low. With those supporting players in place, Anthony was
free to create for himself, and more-or-less run the team as
a point-forward at times (he dished seven assists in the title
game, tying KU point Aaron Miles). The Boeheim 2-3 zone
disrupted the Jayhawk inside-outside game so effectively that
the game was won on a last-second block of a Michael Lee
trey by Warrick.
Looking at these three scenarios, Xavier Henry would
seem to be stepping into more of a Carmelo role than a
Durant situation. In fact, with experienced, mega-talented
upperclassmen at point and center, his job will even easier
than Anthony’s was. Henry will be able to attack the basket
from inside and out without having to run the offense like
Derrick Rose did. With Collins and Aldrich the clear leaders
of the team, the freshman can concentrate on learning from
Bill Self, and doing what he does best.
Of course, this assumes that Henry will be a one-anddone. While that prospect may dismay Jayhawk fans, it may be
time to make friends with the notion. As previously mentioned,
Kansas has five new players coming in, essentially a whole new
starting five, and a throng of skilled sophomores who have
already been to a Sweet 16. As demonstrated last season, when
Tyrone Appleton and Quintrell Thomas transferred as an
antidote to gluteal splinter syndrome, good players hate to sit.
Hoarding talent that never sees the floor isn’t good for anyone.
The perception that Xavier Henry will spend just one season in
Allen Fieldhouse may be crucial to team morale.
Of course, if Henry proves to be the final piece that
pushes this team to a second national title in three years, it’ll
be pretty difficult to find anyone on Mount Oread claiming
hurt feelings.

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Will there be any Sophomore
Surprises?
Last year’s Jayhawk team was very young. Five scholarship
freshman—Tyshawn Taylor, Quintrell Thomas, Travis
Releford, and the Morris twins—entered the program, where
they battled the existing group of sophomores for playing
time. With Cole Aldrich emphatically laying claim to the
center spot, that left Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar to
share space with freshmen and transfers.

Improved team defense will be crucial for a deep
run in the NCAA Tournament.
Neither player developed into a consistent offensive
threat, allowing freshman Tyshawn Taylor to become a starter
in the three-guard set. The Morris brothers saw plenty of
playing time in the post, so Releford and Thomas were left to
pick up scraps. Thomas left after the season, as did seldomused transfer Tyrone Appleton.
With the aforementioned excellent recruiting class
coming in, however, this year’s sophomores have become
something of a sandwich generation, with experienced leaders
above them, and hungry, blue-chip recruits in the class below.
So, if everyone can play, who will play? There’s an entire
article about that very question later in this edition of Jayhawk
Tip-Off, so I’ll be brief. Here are some factors that will tip the
balance when deciding between freshmen and sophomores:
•
•
•
•

Transcendent talent
Shooting range
Match-ups
Defense

Xavier Henry stands out in each of the first three categories. His all-around game puts him in a class above even some

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 11

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall

of the other top-notch talent at Kansas. If he plays as exthat he’s an excellent athlete, but that, plus a foot injury that
pected, he’s a game-changer. He can drive or stop-and-pop all
redshirted him last season, feeds concern that he may be rusty
the way out to the three-point line, and at a speedy 6'6", he’ll
after a long time away from hoops. However, he’s very similar
bamboozle all but the most talented opponents by streaking
to his brother, so he should fit in very well as a backup on the
past them or shooting over them. And he can dish.
perimeter until his health and talent level can be sorted out.
Markieff Morris was a bit of a disappointment in the post
Juniors Reed and Morningstar have already slipped
as a freshman, and he’ll be pushed by Arizona transfer Jeff
into role-player modes: Reed as a shooter off the bench, and
Withey, who is taller, blocks tons
of shots, and has a year of redshirt
knowledge under his belt. Marcus
Morris was decent in the post, but
prefers to play small forward, where
he presents a serious match-up
problem at 6'8". Both brothers from
Philadelphia might find themselves in
a bit of a time crunch, and will have
to fight if they wish to become key
contributors rather than role players,
especially with super-talented freshman Thomas Robinson itching to get
into the mix as well.
Elijah Johnson’s role is more
clearly defined. The point guard
recruit from Las Vegas will back up
Sherron Collins for a season, learning
on the job and keeping the team on
track while #4 takes a breather now
and again. Barring an unfortunate injury to the senior, Johnson knows he’ll
be coming off the bench in 2009–10.
C.J. Henry is a bit of a wild card.
Senior Sherron Collins paces Kansas on offense and defense.
His four years of pro baseball prove

12 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Photos: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Kansas has three NCAA championships (1952, 1988, 2008), but fans would prefer to skip the customary
20–30-year wait before landing another.

What it Takes
Morningstar as a defensive stalwart who can run the offense
for stretches. Neither meets the definition of transcendent
talent, nor does either present a particularly tricky match-up
problem. Both have range and a decent move to the hoop,
so they can steal a few more minutes with a commitment to
defense. Releford will need to do the same if he plans to avoid
becoming the forgotten man of the class of 2008.

Will the Defense Rest?
Bill Self’s recruits learn one thing right away: play defense, or
get splinters.
This means more than getting into a crouch and slapping
the floor. Individual defensive plays can often be made on
pure talent. Glamorous stats like steals and blocks fall into
that category: A blue-chip athlete can make these kinds of
plays on instinct.
But Jayhawk-brand defense is a thinking man’s game.
Grueling hours of practice pay off at game time, when entry
passes are deflected, charges taken, and inside position
denied. The rewards of team defense rarely show up on the
scoreboard. Most often, a good defender is paid in red-faced
opposing coaches and basketballs slammed to the court in fits
of frustration.
Kansas is fortunate to be led by two players who get it
done on both ends of the floor. Collins hounds his man from
three-quarter court on down, and Aldrich’s long arms protect
the rim. As a team, KU was seventh in the nation in defensive
efficiency, according to KenPom.com.
A smart player can always find a role on a Bill Selfcoached team by pouring his energies into team defense. In
the current crowd, it will be a crucial component of individual
and team success.

The Verdict

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Jayhawk Tip-Off spoke to Kansas legend Bud Stallworth for
the History and Tradition section of this Annual. Stallworth
starred at KU for Ted Owens, scoring 50 points against
Missouri, and played in a Final Four against John Wooden
and the UCLA dynasty. His name and number hang in the
rafters of Allen Fieldhouse. He lives in Lawrence to this day.
This is a guy who knows what it means to be a Jayhawk,
so we’ll heed his counsel on the prospects facing the 2009–10
Jayhawks.
I think the team this year, if they work as hard as the team
last year did, they should cut the nets down. I put a caveat by
that because I think last year’s team went leaps and bounds
beyond their talent level in what they accomplished. They
bought into what Coach preached from day one. The guys
who had to be role players played their roles. I’m not taking

When the “Rock-Chalk” chant goes up in the Allen
Fieldhouse, it’s time for opponents to warm up the bus.
anything away from the players, but near the end of the year,
that was one of the best coaching jobs I’ve ever seen. Putting
the team together, there were holes that anyone without the
passion that Coach Self has—to put in the extra time with
the guys and make them believe that they could play at that
high level—wouldn’t be able to fill.
With these recruits he has coming in, if they buy into that
theory about teamwork, playing hard, playing defense, not
trying to be the superstar among stars, talent-wise, they
should be at the top of the pack at the end of the year.
Well said, sir. MSP

Eric Angevine is the editor of the national college basketball site StormingtheFloor.net. A Lawrence townie who attended KU during the Larry
Brown and Roy Williams eras, he is also a freelance writer who has
contributed to ESPN.com, Baseball America, and Deadspin.com.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 13

2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2010

KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Roster

No.

Name

Exp.

Position

Height

Weight

Hometown
High School/Last School

0

Thomas Robinson

FR-HS

Forward

6'9"

230

Washington, DC
Brewster Academy (NH)

1

Xavier Henry

FR-HS

Guard

6'6"

220

Oklahoma City, OK
Putnam City HS

2

Conner Teahan

JR-2L

Guard

6'5"

215

Leawood, KS
Rockhurst HS

4

Sherron Collins

SR-3L

Guard

5'11"

205

Chicago, IL
Crane HS

5

Jeff Withey

RS FR

Center

7'0"

225

San Diego, CA
Horizon HS

10

Tyshawn Taylor

SO-1L

Guard

6'3"

180

Hoboken, NJ
St. Anthony HS

12

Brady Morningstar

RS JR-2L

Guard

6'3"

185

Lawrence, KS
Free State HS/New Hampton Prep (NH)

13

C.J. Henry

RS FR

Guard

6'4"

205

Oklahoma City, OK
Putnam City HS/Memphis

14

Tyrel Reed

JR-2L

Guard

6'3"

185

Burlington, KS
Burlington HS

15

Elijah Johnson

FR-HS

Guard

6'2"

183

Las Vegas, NV
Cheyenne HS

21

Markieff Morris

SO-1L

Center

6'9"

232

Philadelphia, PA
Prep Charter HS/APEX Academy (NJ)

22

Marcus Morris

SO-1L

Forward

6'8"

225

Philadelphia, PA
Prep Charter HS/APEX Academy (NJ)

23

Mario Little

SR-1L

Guard

6'5"

210

Chicago, IL
Washington HS/Chipola CC

24

Travis Releford

SO-1L

Guard

6'5"

205

Kansas City, MO
Bishop Miege HS

40

Jordan Juenemann

SO-1L

Guard

6'4"

195

Hays, KS
Hays HS

41

Chase Buford

JR-2L

Guard

6'3"

210

San Antonio, TX
Alamo Heights HS

45

Cole Aldrich

JR-2L

Center

6'11"

245

Bloomington, MN
Jefferson HS

Sherron Collins

Senior | Guard | 5'11" | 205 lbs | Chicago, IL

4

#

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

Photo: Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

T

his time last year, the buzzwords surrounding the 2008–
09 KU basketball season were “youth” and “inexperience.”
Savvy Kansas fans felt there was an effective antidote to
those issues: the tough, fast-talking, lightning-quick point guard
who wears #4.
Chicago native Sherron Collins was the most experienced
player returning last year, and he quickly silenced any concerns
about his ability to impart focus to his young teammates. A
naturally ebullient and outspoken player, Collins stepped immediately into the shoes vacated when Russell Robinson, Mario
Chalmers, and Brandon Rush left the Kansas backcourt. With
so many talented but untested athletes vying for starting spots,
there was no doubt this was finally Sherron’s team, and his
personality would make or break it.
You know the rest. Despite some stumbles along the way,
the team played cohesive basketball more often than not,
finishing atop the Big 12 standings and earning a confidencebuilding trip to the Sweet 16. It was a good season. There can
be little doubt that Sherron wants more.
Collins exploded as a starter, going from an average of 23
minutes per game in his first two seasons, to a team-leading 35
as a junior. He also doubled his previous scoring numbers and
rang up nearly five assists per contest, also leading the team in
those categories. The question is: Can he do even better this year?
If all goes well, he won’t have to, as his teammates are
expected to pick up more of the slack this season. Still, there

are areas of Collins’s game that could use
some tightening.
Collins’s effective field goal percentage
(eFG%, calculated as FGM + (1.5 x 3PM))/
FGA) was 50.8% last year. To put that number
in context, Collins didn’t even show up on a list of the 100 most
efficient shooters in the nation (limited to players who played at
least 60% of their team’s minutes). So, if we go to the chalkboard and begin writing under the heading “Areas of Improvement,” bullet point number one is Shot Selection.
Collins is also a very aggressive player; one who pushes
the tempo and uses his tenacity, strength, and speed to drive
the lane at every opportunity. Truth be told, it’s one of his
most exciting qualities as a player. But that assertiveness can
sometimes turn a little reckless, as a look at Collins’s assistto-turnover ratio will attest. His 1.5:1 mark is pretty low for a
primary ball-handler, but that can be expected to improve as he
learns to trust his teammates throughout the season. A second
year of practicing together should help last year’s freshmen and
sophomores gel with their leader, allowing Collins to delegate a
bit more. Still, Control the Ball goes up on the board.
Collins’s Three-point Percentage was also less than spectacular at 37.6%, but that’s likely an artifact of his tendency
to draw top-notch defenders as a full-time starter. Collins has
better three-point shooters to pass to in Morningstar, Reed,
and Xavier Henry, so his perimeter touch needs to be just good
enough to punish defenders who play off in respect of his driving
ability. A slight uptick in his 79.5% Free-throw Shooting would
create a true Sophie’s choice for any defender unlucky enough
to find himself guarding #4.
Enough with the Debbie Downer routine. Sherron is going
to be Sherron, which means he’ll maximize his strengths and
minimize his weaknesses. His productive relationship with Cole
Aldrich will continue, and the dazzling array of complementary
players Bill Self has assembled for the big show will almost
certainly create more room for Collins’s creative athleticism to
dominate. There has been some concern among fans as reports
of an off-season weight gain have circulated, but the proof will
be in the pudding (or the lack thereof) this fall.
A team with so many talented options at every position
needs a defining voice in the huddle and on the floor, and Sherron Collins provides that. His teams will be organized without
being predictable, patient but opportunistic, balanced, and
above all, tough.
Sherron Collins left millions on the table to put on crimson
and blue one last time. This season is his swan song as a Kansas Jayhawk. He’ll make it count.

15

Sherron Collins
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08

Date

Opponent
Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

37

6-12

3-5

1-5

0/3

3

2

1

4

0

2

11

0.164

16

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

29

9-15

3-4

4-7

0/2

2

3

0

3

0

3

22

0.395

25

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

30

6-13

5-6

1-4

0/2

2

5

2

1

0

2

20

0.395

18

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

40

8-23

2-6

3-10

1/2

3

2

1

3

0

3

6

0.087

21

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

31

5-12

1-2

0-3

0/1

1

8

2

3

0

1

13

0.263

11

Mon 12/01/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

27

6-15

6-7

1-5

1/0

1

3

2

0

0

3

17

0.354

19

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

34

6-12

1-2

2-5

1/1

2

11

2

4

0

1

21

0.308

15

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

37

6-18

0-0

5-11

2/3

5

5

3

4

0

3

14

0.194

17

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

38

6-22

6-9

1-8

3/1

4

4

2

1

0

1

10

0.164

19

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

36

8-19

0-0

3-8

0/2

2

6

0

2

0

0

15

0.249

19

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

36

6-18

0-0

4-9

1/2

3

4

1

4

0

2

8

0.137

16

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

30

2-6

2-4

1-5

0/0

0

4

1

5

0

2

3

0.062

7

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

36

7-15

10-15

2-6

1/4

5

9

1

4

0

1

25

0.403

26

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

34

5-14

6-8

2-7

0/2

2

4

0

5

0

2

10

0.163

18

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

36

6-15

11-15

2-9

0/3

3

8

2

8

0

4

18

0.278

25

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

27

7-12

8-9

2-4

0/5

5

4

0

4

0

4

24

0.508

24

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

37

5-15

4-5

4-8

1/0

1

7

1

2

0

2

15

0.262

18

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

34

5-15

4-5

2-5

0/1

1

7

3

5

0

1

13

0.228

16

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

39

10-20

3-4

3-7

0/4

4

5

0

3

0

0

22

0.305

26

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

37

6-12

4-5

1-4

0/2

2

3

1

3

0

3

12

0.206

17

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

34

4-17

2-3

1-11

0/1

1

4

1

3

0

3

2

0.039

11

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

39

5-14

7-9

0-2

1/2

3

6

1

2

0

2

15

0.211

17

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

34

4-13

0-1

4-9

0/5

5

2

1

3

0

3

7

0.106

12

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

36

4-14

1-5

0-4

1/3

4

3

0

6

0

1

0

0.000

9

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

37

5-12

7-9

2-6

0/1

1

6

0

5

0

3

14

0.213

19

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

37

9-18

0-0

4-7

0/2

2

6

2

0

0

0

24

0.371

22

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

34

8-13

4-6

2-5

0/2

2

4

2

0

0

0

25

0.433

22

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

38

6-15

9-13

5-9

0/2

2

3

2

4

0

1

18

0.249

26

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

33

8-15

5-7

4-7

2/3

5

6

1

5

0

0

24

0.393

25

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

38

3-20

4-8

1-11

2/3

5

4

1

3

0

2

0

0.000

11

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

36

7-20

6-9

1-5

1/2

3

7

2

3

0

2

15

0.245

21

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

37

6-21

0-0

4-13

1/3

4

6

0

5

0

3

6

0.101

16

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

38

12-27

6-7

2-7

0/4

4

8

0

2

0

3

27

0.389

32

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

35

11-20

2-5

1-5

0/7

7

2

1

0

0

2

24

0.386

25

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

N

38

9-14

0-1

2-6

0/2

2

3

0

6

0

2

14

0.220

20

174

39

115

0

67

–

–

661

TOTALS

16

1229 226-521 132-166 77-205 19/82 101

Sherron Collins
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2006-07

38

22.3

129-270

47.8

49-64

76.6

47-116

40.5

2.3

2.9

0.7

0.0

63

70

354

9.3

2007-08

34

23.8

116-251

46.2

45-58

77.6

38-105

36.2

2.2

3.1

1.1

0.1

68

54

315

9.3

2008-09

35

35.1

226-521

43.4

132-166

79.5

77-205

37.6

2.9

5.0

1.1

0.0

115

67

661

18.9

TOTALS

107

27.0

471-1042

45.2

226-288

78.5

162-426

38.0

2.4

3.6

1.0

0.0

246

191

1330

12.4

Pts

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Thu 03/20/08

Portland State

W, 85-61

22

3-4

0-0

3-4

1/2

3

5

0

1

0

2

15

0.413

9

Sat 03/22/08

UNLV

W, 75-56

27

5-8

0-0

0-1

0/2

2

1

0

2

0

1

8

0.182

10

Fri 03/28/08

Villanova

W, 72-57

21

2-5

0-1

0-2

0/2

2

4

2

3

0

3

5

0.141

4

Sun 03/30/08

Davidson

W, 59-57

28

1-8

2-2

1-3

1/2

3

3

0

2

0

2

2

0.046

5

Sat 04/05/08

North Carolina

W, 84-66

30

4-9

2-2

1-1

1/3

4

4

1

7

0

4

8

0.132

11

Mon 04/07/08

Memphis

W, 75-68

34

4-10

2-2

1-4

0/4

4

6

3

4

0

3

14

0.235

11

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

38

12-26

6-6

2-6

0/4

4

8

0

2

0

3

27

0.389

32

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

35

11-19

2-4

1-4

0/7

7

2

1

0

0

2

24

0.386

25

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

38

9-13

0-1

2-5

0/2

2

3

0

6

0

2

14

0.220

20

11-30
36.7%

3/28

31

36

7

27

0

22

–

–

127

TOTALS

273

51-102 14-18
49.2% 77.8%

Photo: Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

Note: Collins did not accrue any postseason stats as a Freshman

Sherron Collins’s ability to drive or pull up for a three earns him extra defensive attention.

17

Mario Little

Senior | Guard/Forward | 6'5" | 210 lbs | Chicago, IL

23

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

M

ario Little came to Kansas expecting great things. A
tall, versatile player with defensive chops, he parlayed
two years at Florida’s Chipola Junior College into the
top ranking on Rivals.com’s JC transfer list. After the gavel went
down on an NBA Draft that saw Kansas’s entire starting lineup
go pro, Little was expected to help fill the gap in talent and
experience left by the departure of Brandon Rush.
Early returns indicated that this was no mere hyperbole.
Little D’d up Julian Wright in a pickup game at Bill Self’s 2008
youth camp, holding the future NBA player to just three rebounds, and Little’s team won the game. Wright had been Little’s
teammate on a Chicagoland AAU team, and had some words of
praise about his friend. “He’s coming here to produce,” Wright
told Kansan.com “He’s long and athletic, so he can give people
fits on the defensive end.”
Little’s showing against Wright was made all the more
impressive by the revelation that the incoming junior had been
nursing a stress fracture in the lower part of his left leg at the
time. Clearly, it wasn’t too serious. The Big 12 Conference honored Little with its pre-season Newcomer of the Year designation.
But the more Mario Little played on the leg, the worse it
felt. He ended up on crutches by early November. When the leg
healed enough for him to practice again, he broke the fourth
metacarpal in his left hand when it tangled in a teammate’s
jersey. There went December.
After spending two months on the bench wearing a suit,

18

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

#

Little finally got on the court
when Tennessee came to Allen
Fieldhouse on January 3, 2009.
In spite of the rust, he put in
ten solid minutes off the bench,
grabbing five rebounds despite missing on all of his field-goal
attempts. He played only five minutes in KU’s next game, against
Siena, but got on the board by hitting three of four from the
charity stripe.
On January 10, Kansas made a disastrous trip to East
Lansing, losing to Michigan State by a score of 75–62. Little
was not immune to the yips that seemed to afflict every Jayhawk
player that day. He had the worst outing of his career, committing five personal fouls in just seven minutes of playing time.
As the Big 12 season got underway, Little began to find his
groove, and there were some solid moments: 15 points in a win
over Texas A&M; 30 minutes and seven rebounds at Nebraska;
back-to-back strong performances against Baylor and Oklahoma
State. The injuries seemed to nag at him, however, and his minutes were erratic for the remainder of the season.
All of this is the long way of saying that we don’t know
what we’ll get from Mario Little in the 2009–10 season. He had
surgery on the leg during the offseason, so barring any more
practice mishaps, he should be ready to show what he can do.
The only obstacle standing in his way is a certain Xavier Henry,
who just happens to boast similar size and a more potent
offensive skill set.
It should be noted that Little did not transfer when he
had the chance, unlike fellow JC matriculant Tyrone Appleton.
He chose to stick it out on Mount Oread, and that speaks to a
certain unselfish, team-oriented frame of mind. Given his size,
experience, and defensive reputation, it seems very likely that
Little will be a crucial role player, coming off the bench as a
versatile stopper who can play guard or forward. His knack for
offensive rebounding should result in some points, which is an
excellent skill for a player on spot-duty to have.
Which is not to say that Little will be limited to bench-jockey status. Bill Self values experience and defensive toughness,
and is likely to give his other senior more minutes in the first
month of the season while the talented newbies get a crash
course in team defense. Little should prepare himself to do the
most he can with the minutes that come his way.
Mario Little may have missed his window of opportunity to
be the next Brandon Rush. But he’s shown grit, team spirit, and
a willingness to finish what he starts. That goes a long way in
Allen Fieldhouse, and Mario will feel the love when he steps on
the court for Senior Night in 2010.

Mario Little
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

10

0-3

0-0

0-1

1/4

5

2

0

1

0

2

2

0.116

0

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

5

0-0

3-4

0-0

0/0

0

2

0

1

0

0

3

0.333

3

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

7

0-1

0-0

0-0

1/2

3

0

0

1

0

5

0

0.000

0

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

13

4-6

0-0

0-1

1/2

3

0

0

1

1

1

8

0.352

8

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

8

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

1

0

0

1

1

0.081

0

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

14

6-6

2-2

1-1

2/2

4

0

0

0

0

3

18

0.768

15

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

12

4-4

1-3

0-0

0/1

1

0

1

1

0

4

8

0.360

9

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

30

2-6

0-0

0-0

2/5

7

2

0

1

0

1

7

0.148

4

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

11

1-2

0-0

0-1

1/0

1

0

0

1

1

0

2

0.121

2

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

13

4-7

4-5

0-0

0/3

3

1

1

1

0

4

11

0.464

12

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

26

6-8

0-0

1-1

3/2

5

3

0

1

1

1

18

0.355

13

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

24

4-7

1-2

0-1

0/4

4

0

0

3

0

4

5

0.108

9

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

9

0-0

0-0

0-0

2/0

2

3

0

1

0

0

4

0.250

0

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

5

0-5

2-2

0-0

4/2

6

1

0

0

0

0

3

0.343

2

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

12

0-4

0-0

0-0

0/3

3

2

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

7

1-1

0-1

0-0

1/1

2

0

0

0

0

3

3

0.226

2

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

15

2-6

1-2

0-0

1/5

6

2

3

1

0

4

9

0.324

5

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

12

0-2

2-4

0-1

1/1

2

1

2

1

0

1

4

0.183

2

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

12

1-1

4-4

0-0

1/1

2

0

1

0

0

0

9

0.441

6

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

12

3-5

0-2

0-0

2/3

5

1

0

1

0

0

6

0.312

6

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

8

0-2

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

16

3-4

0-1

1-1

2/4

6

0

1

1

1

1

11

0.387

7

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

N

7

1-2

0-0

0-0

1/0

1

0

1

0

0

2

3

0.256

2

288

42-82

20-32

3-8

26/47 73

20

11

18

4

37

–

–

107

TOTALS

19

Mario Little
Career Situational STATISTICS
OVERALL CAREER
SEASON

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2008-09

23

12.5

42-82

51.2

20-32

62.5

3-8

37.5

3.2

0.9

0.5

0.2

18

37

107

4.7

TOTALS

23

12.5

42-82

51.2

20-32

62.5

3-8

37.5

3.2

0.9

0.5

0.2

18

37

107

4.7

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

8

0-2

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

16

3-4

0-1

1-1

2/4

6

0

1

1

1

1

11

0.387

7

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

7

1-2

0-0

0-0

1/0

1

0

1

0

0

2

3

0.256

2

31

4-8
50.0%

0-1
0.0%

1-1
100.0%

3/5

8

0

2

1

1

3

–

–

9

TOTALS

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

“He’s coming here to produce. He’s long
and athletic, so he can give people fits
on the defensive end.” – Julian Wright

Mario Little has been road-tested in the Big 12, which should help him play a leadership role in 2009–10.

20

Cole Aldrich

Junior | Center | 6'11" | 245 lbs | Bloomington, MN

45

#

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

C

ole Aldrich exploded like a supernova in the 2008–09
season. If not for one huge game in the 2008 Final
Four, nobody would have seen it coming.
As a freshman at KU, Aldrich was relegated to rare appearances off the bench. With Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun
sharing the low-post duties, Bill Self had a rare luxury: a third
talented big man, who could take his time and develop under the
tutelage of Kansas legend Danny Manning. Aldrich averaged just
8.3 minutes per game, with a microscopic 2.8 points in each. His
only double-digit game (11 points, 11 rebounds) was a result
of extended garbage time in a 109–51 home walloping of Texas
Tech. In his rare appearances, he often looked overwhelmed.
As Kansas’s run to the 2008 title began, he fared even
worse. In KU’s first four games, against Portland State, UNLV, Villanova, and Davidson, Aldrich clocked only 21 minutes and four
points total. So it came as a shock to many when the forgotten
man got in the game early and played 17 crucial minutes in a
Final Four contest against the dreaded North Carolina Tar Heels.
The measurables were impressive enough—eight points, seven
rebounds, four blocks, and a perfect 4-4 from the line—but the
freshman’s defensive intensity and poise had an even bigger impact on the pace of the game. When he ripped a hotly contested
rebound away from Tyler “Psycho-T” Hansbrough, Jayhawk fans
knew they had a keeper.
Already an NCAA champion, Aldrich began his sophomore
season in beast mode. As the first, best option for every Kansas

possession, his minutes shot up
to 29.6 per contest. The kid who
began the season with just one
double-double to his credit added
21 more to his total, exhibiting
a combination of dexterity, strength, intelligence, and shooting
touch that is seldom seen in a player of his size.
Aldrich’s defensive contributions are every bit as valuable
as the effort he puts in on the offensive end. From a leadership
standpoint, it may be even more valuable. Scoring is fun and rewarding and those who can do it well may lollygag when the ball
changes directions. But the biggest Jayhawk routinely hustles for
position and always gets a hand up to contest an inside shot
attempt. His average of 2.7 blocks per game included a careerhigh ten in an NCAA Tournament game against Dayton, giving
him his first career triple-double.
And here’s a stat that will blow your mind. Cole Aldrich did
not foul out of a single game last season. Not one! In fact, no
referee has had to disqualify #45 as long as he’s been a Jayhawk.
So what improvements can we look for in such an accomplished young man? For one thing, statistics can be tricky. Does
Aldrich’s low personal-foul total mean he plays with exquisite
control, or does it mean he needs to be a little more intimidating? Probably a little bit of both. Cole’s clearly a low-key kind of
guy, so maybe we can wish for a little more fire.
In his sophomore season, Aldrich was less effective against
guard-oriented teams like Baylor and Texas Tech. Without a big
man to battle, he struggles to catch the ball cleanly in the post
and tends to turn it over with all of the bees buzzing around him
in the paint. In a similar vein, he’ll need to do a better job of finding his teammates with crisp passes when he’s under pressure.
Because he will be under pressure. His near-telepathic rapport
with senior guard Sherron Collins should help.
Maybe foreshadowing is just Cole’s thing, however. In
Kansas’s final game of last season—a rematch with Michigan
State—Aldrich had his highest assist total of the season, dishing
out four passes that resulted in points for teammates. Finding
a way to contribute in other ways on nights when defenses have
him pinned will be crucial to the team’s success.
In refining his game, Aldrich has a secret weapon that no
opponent can boast: assistant coach Danny Manning. Observers were astonished by the single-year improvements made by
Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson in ’08, and it seems reasonable to think that the Jayhawk legend will get the most out of
Aldrich as well. Add in experienced post players Marcus Morris
and Arizona transfer Jeff Withey, and the Kansas frontcourt
becomes truly multifaceted.

21

Cole Aldrich
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/
Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08

Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

22

5-8

3-5

0-0

2/3

5

2

1

1

1

3

17

0.426

13

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

19

6-8

0-1

0-0

2/4

6

1

3

1

3

3

20

0.548

12

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

31

6-13

4-5

0-0

2/7

9

2

1

1

6

3

24

0.459

16

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

38

5-14

5-7

0-0

6/10

16

2

3

3

2

4

22

0.334

15

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

28

8-12

7-8

0-0

4/7

11

3

1

2

1

0

32

0.715

23

Mon 12/01/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

28

3-8

4-5

0-0

4/9

13

2

0

2

4

2

20

0.402

10

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

22

5-10

3-5

0-0

6/7

13

1

1

1

2

3

21

0.477

13

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

22

4-8

5-6

0-0

3/5

8

0

0

2

3

3

17

0.396

13

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

36

5-9

2-3

0-0

6/7

13

2

0

2

2

1

21

0.365

12

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

26

6-9

1-3

0-0

2/9

11

0

0

1

2

4

19

0.436

13

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

23

2-5

6-11

0-0

0/4

4

2

0

1

0

4

8

0.214

10

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

21

8-11

4-5

0-0

2/4

6

1

0

3

3

3

23

0.674

20

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

37

10-15

2-3

0-0

3/7

10

1

1

3

6

3

30

0.470

22

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

32

9-14

6-10

0-0

4/9

13

0

1

2

4

3

30

0.521

24

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

36

4-10

6-9

0-0

1/10

11

0

0

1

3

2

17

0.262

14

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

28

5-7

5-6

0-0

2/6

8

1

0

0

2

4

23

0.469

15

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

33

6-7

3-7

0-0

3/7

10

1

0

1

3

3

23

0.450

15

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

31

8-14

0-0

0-0

2/6

8

1

0

2

2

3

18

0.347

16

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

34

7-13

2-3

0-0

3/9

12

0

0

1

2

3

21

0.334

16

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

26

3-6

2-5

0-0

2/6

8

0

1

4

0

3

7

0.171

8

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

31

5-11

5-7

0-0

3/10

13

1

1

0

2

0

23

0.495

15

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

28

4-8

1-3

0-0

2/6

8

0

0

0

2

4

13

0.254

9

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

34

6-13

0-1

0-0

2/16

18

0

0

0

3

2

22

0.332

12

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

35

3-9

2-3

0-0

2/13

15

0

0

4

5

4

15

0.223

8

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

36

8-14

5-6

0-0

0/7

7

2

0

0

1

1

24

0.376

21

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

27

9-13

4-5

0-0

2/9

11

0

1

5

1

2

25

0.529

22

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

26

7-12

4-10

0-0

3/9

12

2

0

1

2

0

21

0.475

18

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

38

5-11

5-7

0-0

5/15

20

1

2

0

4

3

31

0.429

15

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

32

8-14

3-4

0-0

3/11

14

1

0

0

2

2

28

0.473

19

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

19

1-6

6-7

0-0

2/1

3

1

1

0

1

4

9

0.260

8

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

33

4-10

4-5

0-0

4/6

10

1

0

1

3

3

17

0.303

12

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

29

3-6

2-3

0-0

6/8

14

0

0

2

1

2

16

0.345

8

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

31

9-13

5-7

0-0

2/11

13

0

1

0

2

3

30

0.530

23

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

31

6-13

1-4

0-0

6/14

20

1

0

5

10

2

25

0.454

13

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

N

34

6-14

5-7

0-0

5/9

14

4

2

4

4

1

25

0.439

17

106/281 387

36

21

56

94

90

–

–

520

TOTALS

22

1037 199-333 122-154

0-0

Cole Aldrich
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2007-08

40

8.3

43-83

51.8

26-38

68.4

0-0

–

3.0

0.1

0.3

0.8

21

48

112

2.8

2008-09

35

29.6

199-333

59.8

122-154

79.2

0-0

–

11.1

1.0

0.6

2.7

56

90

520

14.9

TOTALS

75

18.2

242-416

58.2

148-192

77.1

0-0

–

6.7

0.5

0.4

1.7

77

138

632

8.4

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Thu 03/20/08

Portland State

W, 85-61

10

1-2

0-0

0-0

0/2

2

1

2

1

1

3

6

0.363

2

Sat 03/22/08

UNLV

W, 75-56

3

1-1

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

2

2

0.410

2

Fri 03/28/08

Villanova

W, 72-57

3

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

1

0

0

0

0

2

0.395

0

Sun 03/30/08

Davidson

W, 59-57

5

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

1

0

1

0

0.000

0

Sat 04/05/08

North Carolina

W, 84-66

17

2-4

4-4

0-0

4/3

7

0

1

2

4

1

16

0.467

8

Mon 04/07/08

Memphis

W, 75-68

4

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

31

9-12

5-6

0-0

2/11

13

0

1

0

2

3

30

0.530

23

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

31

6-12

1-3

0-0

6/14

20

1

0

5

10

2

25

0.454

13

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

34

6-13

5-6

0-0

5/9

14

4

2

4

4

1

25

0.439

17

138

25-44
56.8%

15-19
78.9%

0-0

17/41

58

7

6

13

21

13

–

–

65

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

TOTALS

Cole Aldrich uses his superior height and awareness to pass to open teammates when he’s pinned.

23

Brady Morningstar

Junior | Guard | 6'3" | 185 lbs | Lawrence, KS

12

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

T

he list of Lawrence natives who have played for Kansas
is actually pretty long. But most of the hometown heroes
who have donned crimson and blue did so in the days
before college hoops became big business, when recruiting was
mostly local. In 1966, Roger Harris and Ralph Light both played
for their hometown team, but neither saw much action that year
and were gone the next.
Since then, five Lawrencians have also been basketball
Jayhawks (some people stunt-cast Danny Manning as a local,
but one season as a Lawrence High Chesty Lion does not a
native Kansan make). Of those, Chris Piper saw the most floor
time, serving as a co-captain and role player on the 1988 title
squad. Jeff Johnson occupied the end of the bench in the mid’80s, and Stephen Vinson and Brennan Bechard walked on and
played sparingly in recent times.
So what to make of Brady, son of Roger? Well, he’s actually
quite good, isn’t he? His father was a solid 6'6" forward for the
1975 Jayhawk team. He averaged 11.1 points per game and
exhibited a knack for assists. Brady Morningstar is three inches
shorter, but shows no fear inside. He grabbed four or more
rebounds on 13 occasions last season, including a season high
eight at Colorado on January 17.
On a team with trees in the frontcourt, Brady Morningstar
is never going to make his living as a rebounder, but it’s a nice
bonus in a player who displays the full array of guard skills.

24

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

#

He’s the team’s best returning
three-point shooter, with a very
respectable 42% mark. Last season, he also led the Jayhawks with
a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and
swiped the ball from opponents 1.2 times per game to lead that
category as well. That combination of ball-handling skills, defensive alacrity, and shooting prowess allows him to spell presumed
starters Sherron Collins and Tyshawn Taylor at either position, or
play alongside them when the Jayhawks go small.
In the 2009–10 season, Morningstar is poised to play
the role that Russell Robinson filled for the ’08 championship
team: the team’s security blanket. Remember when Russ Rob
would come off the bench, and you’d know that he had things
under control? That’s what Brady Morningstar gives this year’s
Kansas Jayhawks. He’s experienced, with three years in the
system already thanks to a redshirt year in ’08. He’s steady as a
freight train and never seems to rattle. He controls the ball and
provides a presence behind the arc. He’s tough and tenacious,
and tends to instill similar qualities in his teammates when he’s
on the floor. He’s the rarest kind of sixth man.
Obviously, the reason Brady Morningstar isn’t a starter is
because he’s not going to blow anyone away with his athleticism. There’s not much he or anyone else can do about that.
Morningstar plays a ton of minutes for Bill Self (30.4 per game
last season) but he doesn’t put many points on the board. With
a passel of talented freshmen coming into Allen Fieldhouse this
season, that might relegate him to the status of role player.
Morningstar was at Kansas in ’08, so he has some idea of
what it means to be a backup on a championship-caliber team.
Though he redshirted that season, he had to have seen the
value of building a strong rotation full of capable players. He’ll
likely keep his head on straight and be prepared to do the little
things it takes to help the team win. His job will be to play so
well that Bill Self can’t afford to keep him on the bench during
tight games, when heady play and defensive tenacity are at a
premium.
If he is going to be in those challenging situations, the old
free-throw bugaboo raises its head. Morningstar’s 79% mark
from last season isn’t bad, but it could certainly be better for
someone who figures to take a few charges and maybe get
fouled during three-point attempts. Another way to produce off
the bench is to snatch every freebie that comes your way.
Brady Morningstar is the best Lawrence-born Jayhawk of
this decade, and Bill Self is no doubt pleased he was able to
keep the legacy recruit at home.

Brady Morningstar
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08

Date

Opponent
Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

22

1-4

3-4

0-1

0/2

2

1

0

1

0

0

3

0.075

5

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

28

2-5

0-0

0-2

0/2

2

6

3

0

1

2

12

0.223

4

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

36

1-4

1-2

0-1

1/3

4

5

2

0

0

2

9

0.148

3

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

26

1-2

3-3

1-1

0/1

1

1

0

2

1

3

6

0.133

6

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

32

7-9

1-2

6-8

2/5

7

2

2

2

0

0

26

0.509

21

Mon 12/01/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

30

2-5

4-4

1-3

0/0

0

1

4

2

0

3

9

0.169

9

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

22

1-3

0-0

1-2

0/2

2

2

1

2

0

4

4

0.091

3

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

21

2-5

0-0

2-5

0/0

0

2

0

0

0

1

5

0.122

6

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

29

2-7

2-2

1-4

2/1

3

0

1

0

0

3

5

0.108

7

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

27

4-6

0-0

3-4

0/1

1

2

0

2

0

0

10

0.221

11

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

32

3-8

0-0

2-6

3/2

5

4

0

1

0

2

10

0.192

8

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

22

2-5

0-0

2-4

1/4

5

3

0

1

0

1

9

0.252

6

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

33

4-7

1-2

3-5

2/2

4

6

0

3

0

2

14

0.246

12

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

32

2-7

2-2

1-4

0/2

2

5

1

0

2

0

11

0.191

7

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

29

2-4

0-0

1-2

2/1

3

2

2

0

0

1

9

0.172

5

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

34

2-7

0-1

2-4

0/0

0

3

1

0

0

1

4

0.067

6

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

32

1-2

0-1

0-0

1/7

8

4

1

4

0

3

7

0.141

2

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

32

1-3

1-1

0-1

2/4

6

4

2

0

0

1

12

0.224

3

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

33

4-7

0-0

1-3

1/2

3

3

1

0

0

0

12

0.197

9

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

35

4-6

1-1

2-3

2/3

5

0

0

2

0

0

11

0.200

11

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

39

3-7

2-2

2-6

0/4

4

0

1

3

1

3

8

0.137

10

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

40

2-4

0-0

2-3

1/2

3

1

1

3

0

3

5

0.068

6

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

32

3-8

0-0

3-7

1/1

2

6

1

2

0

1

11

0.176

9

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

34

1-3

0-0

0-2

2/1

3

2

3

3

0

1

4

0.061

2

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

32

4-5

0-0

4-4

0/4

4

1

2

2

0

5

15

0.264

12

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

33

2-5

0-0

2-4

0/3

3

3

4

3

0

1

9

0.156

6

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

32

3-5

0-0

2-3

2/2

4

3

1

1

0

1

12

0.221

8

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

21

0-3

2-2

0-2

0/1

1

3

0

1

0

4

2

0.050

2

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

29

1-5

0-0

0-2

1/3

4

2

1

2

0

0

2

0.037

2

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

23

1-7

0-0

1-6

1/2

3

1

2

0

0

2

2

0.048

3

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

36

3-6

0-0

3-4

0/4

4

4

1

0

0

3

14

0.229

9

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

30

1-5

0-0

0-4

0/1

1

5

2

0

0

2

6

0.125

2

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

29

3-5

0-0

2-3

0/0

0

1

1

0

0

3

8

0.151

8

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

32

0-4

0-0

0-4

1/1

2

2

0

3

0

2

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

N

34

3-8

0-0

0-2

1/2

3

2

2

2

0

0

5

0.088

6

92

43

47

5

60

–

–

229

TOTALS

1063 78-186

23-29

50-119 29/75 104

25

Brady Morningstar
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2006-07

16

5.6

13-26

50.0

4-5

80.0

4-9

44.4

0.8

0.5

0.3

0.1

4

8

34

2.1

2008-09

35

30.4

78-186

41.9

23-29

79.3

50-119

42.0

3.0

2.6

2.6

0.1

47

60

229

6.5

TOTALS

51

22.6

91-212

42.9

27-34

79.4

54-128

42.2

2.3

2.0

1.9

0.1

51

68

263

5.2

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

29

3-5

0-0

2-3

0/0

0

1

1

0

0

3

8

0.151

8

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

32

0-4

0-0

0-4

1/1

2

2

0

3

0

2

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

34

3-8

0-0

0-2

1/2

3

2

2

2

0

0

5

0.088

6

95

6-17
35.3%

0-0

2-9
22.2%

2/3

5

5

3

5

0

5

–

–

14

TOTALS

Lawrence-born Brady Morningstar is steady as a freight train and never seems to rattle.

26

Photo: Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

He’s the team’s best returning
three-point shooter, with a very
respectable 42% mark.

Tyrel Reed

Junior | Guard | 6'3" | 185 lbs | Burlington, KS

14

#

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

I

t’s the quiet ones that always surprise you.
Tyrel Reed comes off the bench. It’s his role, and he
accepts it. Sometimes, opponents may even forget he’s
there, as more demonstrative teammates react to the flow of the
game by leaping, shouting, and gesturing.
Reed is more of the silent assassin. His expression rarely
changes, and the gears are always turning behind that impassive mask. He knows the call can come at any time, and when it
does, he will be ready.
Ready to put up clutch shots in tight games. Ready to add
the winning margin when a team just won’t go away. Ready
to answer an opponent’s hot shooting with a few daggers of
his own. He’s a coach’s kid, a former Mr. Kansas Basketball
from Burlington. He patterned his game after Kirk Hinrich, and
couldn’t wait to step onto the floor in the Phog.
Perimeter shooting is not Reed’s only skill by any means.
He has handle and court vision that would allow him to start
most anywhere in the country, but he’s chosen to be a role
player for the Crimson and Blue. A pretty good choice, seeing as
how he’s already sporting one championship ring, and is gunning for another in his junior year.
It’s no surprise that Tyrel Reed has all the angles figured.
The man is smart. This past summer, he was selected to represent KU at the NCAA’s National Student-Athlete Development
Conference in Orlando. Reed was part of a select group of 700

athletes drawn from every division and sport sponsored by the
governing body. He roomed with
a D-III water polo star from Brazil,
learned about problem solving and
leadership, and made a lot of new friends. He feels the experience taught him something he can use on the court at Kansas.
“I definitely feel after going to that conference and after
being under Coach Self for a couple years that I’m a lot more
confident, and I feel like I can assume that leadership role,”
Reed told KUAthletics.com. “I need to be more vocal. That’s
probably the biggest key for me. I try to lead by example a lot,
but sometimes you just have to step in there and say what you
really feel and hopefully other people will follow what you say.”
You have to love a player who analyzes himself.
So, the first thing on Reed’s to-do list will be vocal leadership. He’s also shown a tendency to heat up late after shooting
cold in the first half. It’s great to have a clutch shooter the team
can rely on in the late going, but a player who’s only getting
20–25 minutes per game needs to be more efficient. His role as
a designated three-point threat might make that difficult, but it
also makes it crucial to individual and team success.
In general, Reed’s shooting percentages went down as his
minutes went up. In his freshman season, #14 played just 6.3
minutes per game, hitting 51.4% from the floor, and 45.8% from
behind the arc. Last year, his playing time more than tripled,
and both numbers fell to the 40% range. It seems reasonable to
expect that Reed will find more balance in his game as he grows
into his role.
It’s pretty easy to see the writing on the wall. Reed is going
to be pushed for minutes with so many blue-chip prospects
coming into the program this season. Like some of the other
upperclassmen, he’s going to have to carve out his niche early
on through defense. Reed’s solid steals rate will give him that
chance, and his steady demeanor will be a big plus on a roster
that is still heavily weighted toward freshmen and sophomores.
He’s also a fine free-throw shooter.
Something about Reed just screams out “coach.” He comes
from a coaching family. He’s a smart kid who’s discovering how
to lead. He’s learning from some of the best minds the college
game has to offer. It’s no stretch to imagine him as a graduate
assistant in two year’s time, becoming the next branch on the
Bill Self coaching tree.
In the meantime, Reed has unfinished business on the court.
If he can be more vocal while staying ready to knock down the
open shot, Kansas just might be the last team standing in 2010.

27

Tyrel Reed
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08

Date

Opponent
Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

34

5-10

2-2

0-5

0/4

4

0

0

1

0

2

9

0.146

12

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

14

2-3

3-4

2-2

0/0

0

2

3

0

0

2

11

0.409

9

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

24

1-5

0-0

0-3

0/4

4

1

2

0

0

0

4

0.099

2

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

29

2-8

0-0

2-8

0/1

1

5

2

2

0

4

6

0.119

6

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

15

0-1

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

1

0

1

0

0.000

0

Mon 12/01/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

20

1-3

4-4

0-1

0/1

1

3

0

1

0

2

7

0.197

6

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

21

4-8

0-0

4-6

1/1

2

0

2

2

0

2

10

0.238

12

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

24

3-8

2-2

3-6

1/3

4

2

2

3

0

2

10

0.213

11

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

29

3-7

0-0

3-7

0/4

4

2

1

1

0

2

10

0.216

9

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

16

0-3

0-0

0-3

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

15

1-4

0-0

1-4

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

2

0

0.000

3

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

23

4-6

1-1

3-5

0/1

1

4

1

0

0

0

16

0.428

12

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

24

2-5

2-2

2-5

2/0

2

2

0

0

0

1

9

0.217

8

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

22

3-6

6-6

2-4

0/1

1

0

1

0

0

0

13

0.328

14

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

20

4-8

0-2

2-6

0/1

1

1

0

0

0

3

6

0.167

10

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

23

2-5

2-4

0-2

0/0

0

0

2

1

0

1

2

0.050

6

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

21

4-6

0-1

3-5

1/1

2

1

0

2

0

2

9

0.276

11

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

14

1-2

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

1

0

0

1

2

0.085

2

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

21

2-3

4-4

2-3

0/2

2

1

0

0

0

1

12

0.309

10

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

20

2-2

1-2

2-2

0/2

2

1

1

2

0

3

8

0.254

7

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

24

2-4

2-2

2-3

1/1

2

2

1

2

0

1

9

0.250

8

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

22

1-1

1-2

0-0

1/1

2

1

1

2

0

0

4

0.100

3

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

22

2-5

1-1

1-3

0/4

4

2

1

2

0

2

7

0.163

6

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

22

2-7

2-2

2-7

2/3

5

0

0

0

0

2

7

0.182

8

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

19

1-3

4-4

1-2

0/2

2

0

0

3

0

3

4

0.119

7

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

26

1-5

0-0

1-4

0/3

3

1

0

1

0

2

1

0.022

3

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

15

0-2

0-0

0-2

1/2

3

0

0

2

0

1

0

0.000

0

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

17

1-3

0-0

1-3

0/0

0

1

1

2

0

3

1

0.031

3

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

18

3-6

0-0

3-4

0/0

0

3

0

0

0

1

9

0.270

9

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

21

2-7

1-2

2-6

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

3

0

0.000

7

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

10

1-1

0-0

1-1

0/2

2

0

0

0

0

1

5

0.294

3

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

16

2-5

0-0

2-5

2/2

4

0

0

1

0

0

5

0.195

6

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

21

0-3

3-4

0-1

1/1

2

2

1

0

0

0

4

0.104

3

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

21

1-5

6-6

1-5

0/3

3

0

1

0

0

0

8

0.215

9

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

N

21

1-2

0-0

1-2

0/1

1

0

0

2

0

5

1

0.028

3

724

66-162

47-57

49-126 13/52 65

37

24

36

0

55

–

–

228

TOTALS

28

Tyrel Reed
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2007-08

23

6.3

18-35

51.4

0-1

0.0

11-24

45.8

0.5

0.9

0.3

0.0

4

8

47

2.0

2008-09

35

20.7

66-162

40.7

47-57

82.5

49-126

38.9

1.9

1.1

0.7

0.0

36

55

228

6.5

TOTALS

58

15.2

84-197

42.6

47-58

81.0

60-150

40.0

1.3

1.0

0.5

0.0

40

63

275

4.8

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Thu 03/20/08

Portland State

W, 85-61

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0.303

0

Sat 03/22/08

UNLV

W, 75-56

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

0.615

0

Fri 03/28/08

Villanova

W, 72-57

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

21

0-3

3-4

0-1

1/2

3

2

1

0

0

0

4

0.104

3

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

21

1-5

6-6

1-5

0/3

3

0

1

0

0

0

8

0.215

9

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

21

1-2

0-0

1-2

0/1

1

0

0

2

0

5

1

0.028

3

66

2-10
20.0%

9-10
90.0%

2-8
25.0%

1/6

7

3

3

2

0

5

–

–

15

Photo: Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

TOTALS

Tyrel Reed plays the game with a cool head and the smarts of a coach’s son.

29

Tyshawn Taylor

Sophomore | Guard | 6'3" | 180 lbs | Hoboken, NJ

10

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

D

ue to NCAA rules, coaches have to let their players
go during the offseason. No organized practices or
supervised weight training for months. It’s kind of a
crapshoot.
Unless, of course, your starting off-guard is good enough
(and young enough) to garner an invite to play for Team USA’s
U-19 squad. In that rare case, you can rest assured that he’s
getting a first-rate basketball education over the summer.
Tyshawn Taylor did just that, spending three and a half weeks in
the company of superstar rising sophomores like Butler’s Gordon
Hayward and newly-minted Dukie Seth Curry. The team practiced
and played under the watchful eye of one of the college game’s
best young coaches: Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon.
The all-star youth team had one goal: to win the international gold medal. The last time the USA had done so was
1991, which qualifies as a lifelong drought for a team so young.
Aside from the opportunity to take back some basketball glory, a
U-19 selection offered the chance to play by international rules
and journey to beautiful New Zealand in the bargain.
Team USA had no problems in Auckland, squashing Team
Canada 93–73 in the first round, and downing Croatia in the
semis by a score of 81–77. Taylor turned in his best performance of the summer in the final game against a physical Greek
team, tallying 18 points, six assists, and five steals. It wasn’t an
isolated event, Taylor led the team in those same three categories in the cumulative stats as well. He’s the only player on the

30

Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

#

Jayhawks with a gold medal to
show off.
“It means so much. I’m glad
I got the chance to represent my
country,” said Taylor in an interview
with KUAthletics.com “It feels so good to just come back after
all the hard work—the two-a-days in Colorado, being here and
practicing right after getting off an 18-hour flight—it feels so
good, like all the hard work paid off.”
Kansas fans are hoping that Taylor’s positive experiences on
the international stage will translate to an even stronger presence
in the KU backcourt this season. As a freshman, Taylor was third
on the team in scoring behind the dynamic duo of Sherron Collins
and Cole Aldrich, notching 9.7 points per game. His all-around
game was on display early: Taylor played an astonishing 36 minutes in only his fourth collegiate game, against Syracuse; he had
an 11-assist game against Jackson State in early December; and
four steals against Temple two weeks later. As a scorer, his most
impressive game by far came on the road at Oklahoma: 26 points
on 8-13 shooting, including 3-5 from behind the arc.
Taylor can hit the three, though last year’s stats definitely
welcome improvement. If Taylor is to start all season at shooting
guard, as expected, last year’s 36.4% mark will be a handicap.
He can absolutely thrive as a slasher, but it’s never a good idea
to be too one-dimensional, even if you’re quick. Defenses have
a much harder time adjusting to a real shooting threat who can
drive. A perceived lack of perimeter mojo could lead to more
Brady Morningstar (42.2% career) or Tyrel Reed (40.0%) in lategame situations. It’s not particularly likely, but it could happen.
Turnovers are the other area of concern when looking at
Tyshawn Taylor. On three separate occasions—against Nebraska,
Missouri, and Dayton—he turned the ball over six times. That’s
two tough away games and a neutral-court NCAA contest, but
it’s no stretch to say that a starting guard might want to improve
on a 1.3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tyshawn Taylor seems very likely to overcome these obstacles and become the third scoring option all of Mount Oread
wants him to be. It may be a technicality, since his 9.7 per game
was already good enough for third place on the team in ’09,
but the conventional wisdom is that he can do more, and his
off-season exploits in New Zealand would seem to bear out that
line of reasoning.
The opportunity to add a national championship ring to his
gold medal should have Tyshawn Taylor salivating for Midnight
Madness, just like the rest of us.
(Note: incoming freshman Elija Johnson will wear #15 this
season)

Tyshawn Taylor
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08

Date

Opponent
Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

19

2-4

3-6

0-1

0/3

3

2

2

2

0

4

6

0.174

7

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

18

2-4

1-2

0-2

0/0

0

3

2

3

1

3

5

0.144

5

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

25

4-5

2-3

0-0

0/2

2

1

0

2

1

1

9

0.213

10

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

36

8-13

0-1

1-2

0/3

3

2

2

4

0

4

13

0.208

17

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

25

2-4

4-4

2-3

2/3

5

6

0

1

0

1

17

0.426

10

Mon 12/01/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

35

5-14

0-0

2-2

1/2

3

2

3

1

0

1

9

0.145

12

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

31

8-14

7-8

0-3

0/1

1

3

1

2

0

0

19

0.306

23

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

34

4-10

1-1

1-4

0/3

3

11

2

4

0

1

15

0.226

10

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

20

1-7

1-2

0-3

0/2

2

3

2

3

1

4

0

0.000

3

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

37

4-7

2-2

1-3

0/2

2

8

4

1

1

3

21

0.339

11

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

29

2-6

3-5

2-4

1/0

1

3

1

1

0

3

7

0.149

9

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

19

1-2

0-0

1-2

0/2

2

1

1

1

1

2

5

0.162

3

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

23

6-11

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

3

1

1

0

4

10

0.252

12

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

26

3-8

1-2

1-3

2/2

4

2

1

2

0

2

6

0.128

8

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

18

1-3

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

2

0

1

0

0.000

2

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

34

5-8

9-13

1-2

1/3

4

3

2

2

1

2

20

0.336

20

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

23

6-7

1-2

1-2

0/1

1

2

0

4

0

3

11

0.309

14

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

30

4-5

0-0

0-1

0/3

3

1

0

2

0

3

8

0.159

8

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

27

3-10

4-4

0-1

1/5

6

3

2

1

0

2

12

0.240

10

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

30

1-3

4-6

0-2

0/3

3

3

0

6

1

3

3

0.063

6

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

22

1-4

2-2

0-1

0/2

2

1

0

1

1

3

3

0.091

4

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

23

3-8

0-0

0-1

0/2

2

4

0

3

0

4

4

0.095

6

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

22

3-5

4-4

2-3

1/1

2

4

2

2

0

3

16

0.373

12

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

20

5-6

1-1

0-0

1/2

3

2

1

6

0

2

9

0.234

11

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

22

1-2

2-2

0-0

0/2

2

3

1

2

0

5

7

0.179

4

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

16

1-2

0-0

1-2

0/0

0

3

1

2

0

4

4

0.143

3

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

25

2-6

1-2

1-5

0/3

3

1

0

3

0

0

1

0.024

6

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

34

8-13

7-11

3-5

0/1

1

3

1

1

0

1

21

0.325

26

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

30

5-7

4-6

1-1

1/0

1

6

0

2

0

1

16

0.288

15

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

28

4-5

3-4

0-0

0/2

2

1

3

2

0

1

11

0.215

11

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

27

4-9

2-2

1-1

0/2

2

5

0

3

0

1

10

0.218

11

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

38

4-7

2-2

2-3

0/2

2

3

1

0

0

3

15

0.247

12

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

27

4-9

0-1

0-1

0/2

2

1

0

2

0

2

3

0.061

8

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

27

1-5

1-3

0-1

0/3

3

3

1

6

0

1

0

0.000

3

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

N

28

2-4

4-4

0-1

0/1

1

2

1

3

0

3

7

0.149

8

104

38

83

8

81

–

–

340

TOTALS

928 120-237 76-105

24-66 11/65 76

31

Tyshawn Taylor
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2008-09

35

26.5

120-237

50.6

76-105

72.4

24-66

36.4

2.2

3.0

1.1

0.2

83

81

340

9.7

TOTALS

35

26.5

120-237

50.6

76-105

72.4

24-66

36.4

2.2

3.0

1.1

0.2

83

81

340

9.7

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

27

4-9

0-1

0-1

0/2

2

1

0

2

0

2

3

0.061

8

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

27

1-5

1-3

0-1

0/3

3

3

1

6

0

1

0

0.000

3

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

28

2-4

4-4

0-1

0/1

1

2

1

3

0

3

7

0.149

8

82

7-18
38.8%

5-8
62.5%

0-3
0.0%

0/6

6

6

2

11

0

6

–

–

19

TOTALS

Tyshawn Taylor Team USA U19 Game-by-Game
Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FG%

3-A

3PT%

FT-A

FT%

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

PF

Blk

Pts

W 106-55

18

5-5

100.0

1-2

50.0

0-1

0.0

0/1

1

3

2

2

1

0

13

W 71-55

17

2-2

10.0

1-3

33.3

0-0

0.0

0/2

2

5

0

2

4

0

7

Greece

W 85-69

20

1-5

20.0

1-2

50.0

3-4

75.0

0/3

3

2

1

5

2

0

8

Puerto Rico

W 82-61

21

4-10

40.0

0-3

0.0

0-0

0.0

2/0

2

5

2

0

4

0

8

Lithuania

W 76-69

22

6-12

50.0

0-1

0.0

1-2

50.0

0/0

0

4

1

2

4

0

13

Canada

W 93-73

23

3-6

50.0

1-1

100.0

1-1

100.0

1/1

2

7

0

3

2

0

10

Croatia

W 81-77

24

2-7

28.6

0-0

0.0

5-7

71.4

0/3

3

3

3

2

0

0

9

Greece

W 88-80

27

4-10

40.0

1-1

100.0

7-12

58.3

2/0

2

6

5

2

1

0

18

TOTALS

8 Games

172

27-57

47.4

5-13

38.5

17-27

63.0

5/10

15

35

14

18

18

0

86

Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Iran
France

Last season’s third option at Kansas, Taylor became a leader in New Zealand.

32

Marcus Morris

Sophomore | Forward | 6'8" | 225 lbs | Philadelphia, PA

22

#

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

M

arcus Morris played well enough in the post as a
freshman that you won’t be seeing him there as
much this year.
MC Morris (as his jersey reads) was the team’s secondleading rebounder behind Cole Aldrich. He was able to play that
role with a fairly pedestrian 4.7 boards per game, which says
more about the Jayhawks’ overreliance on Cole Aldrich than it
does about Morris’s abilities. With senior walk-on Matt Kleinmann the only other Jayhawk above 6'9", both Morris brothers
had to play inside in the 2008–09 season.
Despite his size, that’s not where Marcus Morris feels
comfortable. He says he was never a post player at any time
in his career until last season at Kansas. His versatility and
shooting range have always made him much more attractive as
a wing player, where he creates severe mismatches and throws
defenses into chaos. Imagine stepping onto the court against a
6'8" forward with a strong perimeter game—who guards him?
Morris has always considered small forward to be his
natural position. With 6'9" power forward Thomas Robinson
coming in, and 7'0" Arizona transfer Jeff Withey available to join
the team in ’09, #22 should be able to spend more time in the
three spot, helping national radio and television announcers do
a better job of distinguishing him from his twin brother. Markieff,
at 6'9" and 232 pounds, will continue to roam the paint.
Over the summer, Morris played a pickup game against
notable Jayhawk basketball alumni (Sasha Kaun, Russell

Robinson, Billy Thomas) at Bill
Self’s basketball camp. His
renewed dedication to perimeter
shooting was in evidence, as he
drilled several guarded treys. At a
post-game press conference, Marcus said he’d been working on
his shooting all summer, and that he had been given the green
light to shoot it when he’s open.
In that same impromptu locker room interview, which can
be found at TheShiver.com, Morris was quite candid about his
biggest weakness: foul shooting. His 60.4% mark was tenth on
the team, and by far the worst percentage by a player logging
significant floor time. Of the returning players from last year’s
squad, only Travis Releford (53.1%) and Chase Buford (no attempts) were less effective at the stripe.
The defensive education of Marcus Morris seems to be
proceeding fairly well. A tendency for the then-freshman to be
somewhat lackadaisical and overconfident on defense was
exposed last season, and in rather spectacular fashion by Iowa
State’s Craig Brackens. Jayhawk fans will remember that the
6'10" Brackens torched a variety of KU defenders for 42 points
in Ames last year. When Brackins came to Allen Fieldhouse for
the rematch, Morris was ready for him. Brackins wore his own
number as well as #22 that night, and was held to 7-21 from
the floor. Against a player like Brackins, a 20-point evening is a
victory for the defender.
“That was a game I needed for myself to see where I was at
defensively,” Morris told Phog.net. “I told myself before the game,
‘I’m not worried about anything else on the court.’ I told myself,
‘He won’t get 42 tonight.’ Once I knew that, the game was over.”
Anyone who’s watched a Bill Self-coached team knows that
defensive toughness is crucial. Morris is learning that a hand in
the face is not the only way to play D. His effort against Brackins
was largely focused on denying him the ball and position. Knowing how to limit a high-scoring opponent’s touches is a nice
complement to a fairly solid defensive repertoire.
Marcus, like many other experienced KU players, will find
himself squeezed for playing time when Xavier Henry rolls into
Allen Fieldhouse this winter. That makes Morris’s size and defensive ability the key to carrying over the 18.5 minutes per game
he carved out of last year’s schedule. No doubt, his acknowledged versatility will still be called upon in the four spot as well.
Marcus Morris made a game-winning shot for a repeat
state title in his senior year at Philadelphia’s Charter Prep. He
and his brother then spent a post-graduate year at New Jersey’s
Apex Academy. That experience and maturity should serve him
well as the Jayhawks attempt to make it to Indianapolis.

33

Marcus Morris
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08 Missouri-Kansas City

Date

W, 71-56

H

8

1-1

0-0

0-0

0/3

3

0

0

2

1

2

3

0.207

2

Tue 11/18/08

W, 85-45

H

20

2-8

1-2

0-0

5/5

10

1

4

0

1

2

12

0.312

5

Mon 11/24/08 Washington

W, 73-54

N

19

6-9

1-2

0-1

1/1

2

1

0

3

0

4

9

0.281

13

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

36

5-10

1-4

0-0

6/5

11

6

1

2

2

3

18

0.256

11

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

18

2-7

2-4

0-0

5/4

9

1

0

0

1

0

8

0.282

6

Mon 12/01/08 Kent State

W, 87-60

H

29

3-9

8-12

0-0

3/7

10

0

1

2

1

2

12

0.233

14

Wed 12/03/08 New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

9

3-6

0-0

0-0

3/1

4

1

1

0

0

3

7

0.166

6

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

17

5-6

3-3

0-0

0/3

3

0

1

2

0

4

13

0.392

13

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

17

2-8

0-0

0-1

2/3

5

0

0

0

0

1

2

0.074

4

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

25

4-8

1-2

0-0

1/1

2

1

3

3

0

1

7

0.167

9

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

23

4-7

4-4

0-0

2/3

5

1

0

1

0

2

13

0.348

12

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

18

3-4

0-1

1-1

1/4

5

2

2

1

1

0

13

0.444

7

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

20

3-8

1-3

0-0

2/4

6

2

2

4

0

5

5

0.145

7

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

17

4-8

0-0

0-0

4/2

6

3

1

1

0

3

12

0.392

8

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

8

1-2

0-2

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0.000

2

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

15

1-2

1-4

0-0

2/5

7

0

2

1

0

2

6

0.229

3

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

19

4-5

1-3

1-1

2/1

3

2

1

3

0

3

9

0.306

10

Mon 01/19/09 Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

20

3-5

2-5

2-3

0/1

1

1

2

2

0

2

7

0.209

10

Sat 01/24/09

W, 82-67

A

19

0-2

0-2

0-0

2/4

6

0

1

3

0

5

0

0.000

0

Wed 01/28/09 Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

7

1-2

3-4

0-0

1/0

1

1

0

2

0

1

2

0.181

5

Sat 01/31/09

W, 66-61

H

20

1-2

4-4

0-0

4/3

7

2

0

0

1

1

13

0.433

6

Mon 02/02/09 Baylor

W, 75-65

A

16

5-9

3-3

0-1

1/5

6

0

1

4

0

1

11

0.377

13

Sat 02/07/09

W, 78-67

H

14

2-4

5-6

0-0

0/4

4

0

0

1

0

1

8

0.293

9

Mon 02/09/09 Missouri

L, 60-62

A

11

0-4

2-2

0-1

2/1

3

2

2

3

0

4

1

0.047

2

Sat 02/14/09

W, 85-74

A

28

4-7

6-8

1-1

3/4

7

4

3

1

0

3

20

0.402

15

Wed 02/18/09 Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

29

3-7

2-2

0-2

1/5

6

1

2

3

0

3

9

0.177

8

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

13

2-2

0-0

1-1

0/3

3

0

0

5

1

4

3

0.136

5

Mon 02/23/09 Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

17

1-4

3-5

0-1

0/3

3

2

1

2

0

4

4

0.124

5

Sun 03/01/09 Missouri

W, 90-65

H

11

2-3

0-1

0-0

1/4

5

0

0

1

2

3

7

0.344

4

Wed 03/04/09 Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

26

5-9

1-3

0-0

6/2

8

0

1

1

0

5

10

0.211

11

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

19

3-3

3-4

0-0

1/1

2

0

0

1

1

4

9

0.279

9

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

24

5-11

2-4

0-1

2/2

4

0

0

0

0

1

7

0.312

12

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

26

3-3

2-3

0-0

2/5

7

4

1

0

0

3

17

0.233

8

Sun 03/22/09 Dayton

W, 60-43

N

14

0-1

0-2

0-0

0/0

0

0

1

1

0

1

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/27/09

L, 62-67

N

14

1-4

2-2

0-0

1/1

2

0

1

2

0

3

2

0.085

4

646

94-190

64-106

6-15

38

36

57

12

88

–

–

258

TOTALS

34

Opponent

Florida Gulf Coast

Iowa State

Colorado

Oklahoma State

Kansas State

Michigan State

66/100 166

Marcus Morris
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2008-09

35

18.5

94-190

49.5

64-106

60.4

6-15

40

4.7

1.1

1.0

0.3

57

88

258

7.4

TOTALS

35

18.5

94-190

49.5

64-106

60.4

6-15

40

4.7

1.1

1.0

0.3

57

88

258

7.4

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

26

3-3

2-3

0-0

2/5

7

4

1

0

0

3

17

0.233

8

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

14

0-1

0-2

0-0

0/0

0

0

1

1

0

1

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

14

1-4

2-2

0-0

1/1

2

0

1

2

0

3

2

0.085

4

54

4-8
50.0%

4-7
51.7%

0-0
–

3/6

9

4

3

3

0

7

–

–

12

TOTALS

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Marcus Morris's versatility and
shooting range have always made him
more attractive as a wing player.

Marcus Morris can jam, but will have to work on his free-throw shooting.

35

Markieff Morris

Sophomore | Forward | 6'9" | 232 lbs | Philadelphia, PA

21

B

efore Markieff Morris arrived on campus at KU, an interviewer for NorthStarBasketball.com asked him which
NBA player he felt he most resembled on the court.
His answer? Rasheed Wallace.
The former Tar Heel is a bit taller than Markieff, though he
weighs about the same. Both are a bit rangier than the classic
power forward, with a decent outside-shooting touch. And, of
course, both are from Philadelphia, where toughness and tenacity are admired above all other things. Where else could a statue
of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa grace the lawn of a first-rate art
museum?
It will take more than a shared hometown to make the
comparison legit, however.
One way it may be hoped that Markieff will emulate ’Sheed
is in the low post. At the beginning of his freshman season in
Lawrence, MK Morris (it’s on his jersey!) was lauded as the
more effective post player of the Morris twins package deal.
In reality, however, he seemed to struggle with the speed and
strength of experienced NCAA players, notching just 4.6 points
and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2008–09. He committed 2.8
fouls per contest, ending up in foul trouble in 11 games and
being disqualified from four. Morris only scored in double figures
against Colorado (with ten points), and seemed visibly frustrated at times.
With foul trouble comes reduced playing time, and Markieff
ended up playing less than his brother did throughout the season.

36

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

#

Morris feels he can play
outside as well as inside, which is
no doubt a notion Bill Self would
rather disabuse his talented sophomore forward of. Last season’s
18.8% from behind the arc is not encouraging in that regard.
In the Kansas system, Morris should rarely be seen shooting
from anywhere outside the high post. Preferably, he’ll be on
the receiving end of more entry passes and lobs, especially as
defenders gravitate toward Cole Aldrich in the paint.
Effectively establishing position inside should become
easier for Morris after spending another year learning the ropes
of the High-Low offense. Extra time with the strength coach
should allow #21 to make more efficient use of his body down
low, as well. What cannot be sacrificed—and surely the staff will
make certain it is not—is speed. The ability to run in the open
court is a prized commodity at Kansas, and taking advantage
of easy transition buckets will be a great way for the taller
Morris brother to raise his shooting percentage from last year’s
rather disappointing 44.8%. A more efficient offensive presence
from Markieff will be crucial if he is to make defenders pay for
doubling Aldrich. Not to pile on here, but the 65% free-throw
shooting isn’t helping matters on that front, either.
The good news is, Markieff Morris can play defense. He had
at least one blocked shot in 14 out of 35 games played, and
managed multiples in eight contests. In high school, Markieff was
named best defensive player for three years running, and was
honored for his rebounding in two of those three, as well. Clearly,
the raw materials are there. This coaching staff should be able to
shape that raw talent into a focused player given time.
A basketball truism states that big men take longer to
develop than guards. Anyone who witnessed Cole Aldrich’s development from seldom-used freshman to linchpin of the Jayhawk
offense as a sophomore will no doubt be willing to wait a little
while for Morris to make that leap.
As a freshman, the big man did what freshmen—scholarship athletes or not—often do: He acted like a kid. Few will forget
that he ran into some legal trouble by firing a pellet gun out of
his dorm window. It was a case of poor judgment that lent some
credence to the Wallace comparison in a negative way. Finding
the mental toughness that will allow him to keep developing and
growing will be the first step for Markieff Morris.
Morris’s ace in the hole is assistant coach Danny Manning.
The Jayhawk legend has shown a deft touch with post players,
and there’s little doubt that he will work with Morris as much as
it takes. Will the upcoming season begin Markieff Morris’s great
leap forward? Don’t bet against him.

Markieff Morris
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08 Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

29

0-3

7-10

0-1

3/12

15

3

0

4

2

3

14

0.266

7

Tue 11/18/08

W, 85-45

H

16

3-5

0-0

0-0

2/3

5

0

0

1

0

0

7

0.228

6

Mon 11/24/08 Washington

W, 73-54

N

21

2-4

0-0

0-0

2/4

6

0

0

2

3

4

7

0.198

4

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

13

2-4

0-1

1-2

1/3

4

1

0

1

0

5

5

0.197

5

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

17

1-1

1-2

0-0

0/1

1

1

0

2

1

3

3

0.112

3

Mon 12/01/08 Kent State

W, 87-60

H

13

1-2

4-4

0-0

3/2

5

1

0

1

0

2

9

0.389

6

Wed 12/03/08 New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

21

3-8

2-2

0-0

1/3

4

2

0

4

0

4

8

0.444

8

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

19

3-5

1-3

1-1

3/2

5

3

2

0

0

2

13

0.350

8

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

8

0-1

0-2

0-0

1/0

1

0

0

2

0

2

0

0.000

0

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

16

3-4

2-3

0-0

0/5

5

0

0

0

0

4

10

0.373

8

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

28

3-5

1-2

0-0

1/6

7

4

2

3

0

3

13

0.286

7

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

20

1-3

3-4

0-0

0/1

1

1

2

1

0

4

5

0.154

5

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

7

2-2

0-0

0-0

1/1

2

0

0

0

0

5

6

0.497

4

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

24

1-4

2-2

0-1

3/5

8

2

0

0

3

2

12

0.278

4

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

14

2-4

0-0

0-1

1/2

3

1

0

1

0

5

4

0.159

4

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

23

2-2

1-2

0-0

1/4

5

1

0

1

1

4

9

0.224

5

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 73-56

A

18

1-3

1-2

0-1

1/4

5

2

0

0

0

1

6

0.215

3

Mon 01/19/09 Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

11

0-4

2-4

0-0

2/1

3

1

0

0

0

2

0

0.000

2

Sat 01/24/09

W, 82-67

A

7

1-4

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

1

2

0

3

0

0.000

2

Wed 01/28/09 Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

7

1-2

3-4

0-0

3/2

5

0

1

0

1

1

9

0.816

5

Sat 01/31/09

W, 66-61

H

12

4-5

2-2

0-0

4/0

4

3

0

2

2

3

15

0.833

10

Mon 02/02/09 Baylor

W, 75-65

A

19

4-8

0-0

1-1

3/6

9

0

0

0

2

4

14

0.404

9

Sat 02/07/09

W, 78-67

H

6

0-3

0-0

0-0

0/3

3

1

0

3

0

2

0

0.000

0

L, 60-62

A

10

1-3

0-0

0-0

1/2

3

0

1

0

1

3

4

0.208

2

Iowa State

Colorado

Oklahoma State

Mon 02/09/09 Missouri

W, 85-74

A

5

1-2

0-2

0-0

0/0

0

0

1

0

0

2

0

0.000

2

Wed 02/18/09 Iowa State

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 72-55

H

16

2-2

0-0

0-0

1/2

3

2

0

3

2

3

7

0.250

4

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

19

3-6

0-0

0-1

4/5

9

1

1

0

3

1

15

0.464

6

Mon 02/23/09 Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

14

3-6

1-2

0-1

0/2

2

1

0

2

1

5

5

0.188

7

Sun 03/01/09 Missouri

W, 90-65

H

15

2-3

2-2

0-1

1/6

7

1

1

1

2

3

13

0.468

6

Wed 03/04/09 Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

17

1-4

2-2

0-0

1/3

4

0

0

3

0

4

2

0.064

4

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

14

3-5

2-2

0-1

1/1

2

0

0

2

0

3

6

0.252

8

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

14

1-4

0-0

0-0

1/3

4

0

1

1

0

2

2

0.089

2

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

13

1-3

0-0

0-1

1/2

3

1

1

0

0

2

4

0.169

2

Sun 03/22/09 Dayton

W, 60-43

N

17

1-3

0-1

0-1

1/4

5

1

0

1

1

1

5

0.166

2

Fri 03/27/09

L, 62-67

N

24

1-7

0-0

0-2

3/4

7

0

0

0

0

1

2

0.050

2

547

60-134

39-60

3-16

34

14

43

25

98

–

–

162

TOTALS

Michigan State

51/104 155

37

Markieff Morris
Career Situational STATISTICS
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2008-09

35

15.6

60-134

44.8

39-60

65.0

3-16

18.8

4.4

1.0

0.4

0.7

43

98

162

4.6

TOTALS

35

15.6

60-134

44.8

39-60

65.0

3-16

18.8

4.4

1.0

0.4

0.7

43

98

162

4.6

NCAA TOURNAMENT STATISTICS
Date

Opponent

Result

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

TRB

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

13

1-3

0-0

0-1

1/2

3

1

1

0

0

2

4

0.169

2

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

17

1-3

0-1

0-1

1/4

5

1

0

0

1

1

5

0.166

2

Fri 03/27/09

Michigan State

L, 62-67

24

1-7

0-0

0-2

3/4

7

0

0

0

0

1

2

0.050

2

54

3-13
23.1%

0-1
0.0%

0-4
0.0%

5/10

15

2

1

0

1

4

–

–

6

TOTALS

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The raw materials are there…
this coaching staff should be able to
mold them into a focused player.

Markieff Morris is at his best in the post.

38

Travis Releford

Sophomore | Forward | 6'5" | 205 lbs | Kansas City, MO

24

#

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

I

f college English professors assigned the “What I Did on My
Summer Vacation” essay that we all wrote at one time or
another as kids, the KU basketball team would turn in some
doozies.
Over the summer, the gold medal awarded to Tyshawn Taylor
and the U-19 USA squad was big news for Jayhawk fans. But it
may have slipped a few minds that Taylor is not the only current
Kansas player with international experience.
Rising sophomore Travis Releford played on the U-18 team
in the summer between his senior year of high school and his
arrival on Mount Oread. Davidson coach Bob McKillop led the
team through preliminaries in South America, where they easily
qualified for the medal round. Releford played on a roster full
of blue-chip recruits: Kemba Walker (UConn), JaMychal Green
(Alabama), Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns (both Villanova),
and the Wear brothers (UNC), among others. His team made the
finals, but lost to a strong Argentina team playing in their own
country.
While Releford wasn’t as dominant as Taylor was on his more
recent overseas journey, he did catch McKillop’s eye early on.
“Travis Releford did everything,” the Davidson coach told
FIBA.com. “He rebounded, ran the court, defended, got loose
balls, made shots inside, and was extremely, extremely effective
and efficient in running our offense.”
A heady experience for a kid from Kansas City who was
preparing to be the first member of his family to go to college,

let alone Argentina.
“It’s a lot of pressure,
everybody’s looking for me to not
mess up so that I can carry them,”
Releford told Jayhawk Illustrated.
“I think they hope that I can get the best [out] of college, make
the NBA, and take care of my family.”
Those possibilities, along with the attendant responsibilities, began to blossom while Releford was in high school on
the Missouri side of the state line. In one of his first games at
Central High, Releford exploded for 43 points and 12 rebounds.
After that, he became a marked man, both for opposing defenders and college coaches.
Garnering a reputation as the best player in the KC area,
and a top-ten national ranking at his position, Releford began
to look for a way out of his rough local school district. He was
dating a young lady who attended Bishop Miege, in the Kansas
suburbs of the city, and that helped seal the deal when Releford
decided to transfer.
From there, it came down to choosing a school. Proving
that his eye for talent is second to none, Kansas coach Bill Self
made an early scholarship offer, which Releford accepted. The
kid from just up the road seemed destined to be a Jayhawk—
talented, focused, humble, and family-oriented. Not to mention,
he possessed a quick first step, a nose for the basket, and a
commitment to defense.
“I think I’m going to be an impact player because I’m going
to come in and try and stop the best scorer on the other team,”
Releford told Phog.net. “Of course I’m going to score and do the
other things. If I come to work, I could see myself as a starter.”
That particular prediction has yet to come true, and it will
be a difficult goal to fulfill in such a crowded, skilled backcourt.
Releford played a season-high 21 minutes in the first loss to
Michigan State, but more often than not, he spent his freshman
season on the bench. The lack of playing time is likely due to a
certain lack of variety in his game that makes him too easy to
defend. Releford has always been an effective slasher, but has
yet to develop sufficient range to complement his quickness.
It’s not that he’s a bad shooter, he hit 56.9% of his shots
as a freshman, it’s more that he’s too predictable. Releford
has been shut down pretty effectively by the collegiate defenders he’s faced so far, and there are plenty of players in front of
him (and coming up behind him) who don’t have that problem. Number 24 has the talent, and the work ethic, so it’ll be
interesting to see where a second year of top-notch coaching
can take him. It’s already taken him to Argentina, and the NCAA
Tournament. The horizon is wide open.

39

Travis Releford
2008–09 GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Sun 11/16/08

Date

Opponent
Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

13

3-3

0-0

0-0

1/1

2

1

2

0

0

2

11

0.466

6

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

15

4-8

0-3

0-1

2/0

2

0

0

2

0

1

1

0.035

8

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

3

1-2

2-2

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

1

3

0.593

4

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

13

3-6

2-5

0-0

3/0

3

0

0

2

0

2

2

0.096

8

Mon 12/01/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

3

2-2

0-0

1-1

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

1

6

1.688

5

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

5

1-3

0-0

0-0

2/1

3

0

0

1

0

0

1

0.100

2

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

6

1-1

0-0

0-0

1/1

2

0

0

0

0

0

4

0.341

2

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

4

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 12/20/08

Temple

W, 71-59

H

6

0-1

0-0

0-0

1/0

1

0

0

0

0

2

0

0.000

0

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

8

1-3

0-0

0-0

2/0

2

0

0

0

0

3

2

0.154

2

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

14

3-4

0-0

1-1

0/4

4

2

0

1

0

0

10

0.440

7

Sat 01/03/09

Tennessee

W, 92-85

H

8

0-2

1-2

0-0

1/3

4

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.072

1

Tue 01/06/09

Siena

W, 91-84

H

8

2-2

0-0

1-1

1/1

2

1

1

1

0

3

8

0.556

5

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

21

0-2

0-2

0-1

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

2

0

0.000

0

Tue 01/13/09

Kansas State

W, 87-71

H

3

0-1

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

1

1

0

1

0

0.000

0

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

5

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

2

0

3

0

0.000

0

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

9

0-2

1-2

0-1

1/1

2

0

2

0

0

0

2

0.133

1

Sat 01/24/09

Iowa State

W, 82-67

A

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Wed 01/28/09

Nebraska

W, 68-62

A

6

2-2

1-2

0-0

0/3

3

0

0

0

0

1

6

0.635

5

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 02/07/09

Oklahoma State

W, 78-67

H

7

2-4

1-2

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

0.073

5

Mon 02/09/09

Missouri

L, 60-62

A

8

3-4

3-3

0-0

1/1

2

0

0

1

0

1

9

1.558

9

Sat 02/14/09

Kansas State

W, 85-74

A

5

1-1

2-4

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

0.000

4

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

5

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/2

2

0

0

1

0

1

1

0.114

0

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

11

1-2

1-1

0-1

1/0

1

0

0

1

0

1

2

0.107

3

Mon 02/23/09

Oklahoma

W, 87-78

A

10

0-0

1-2

0-0

2/0

2

1

0

1

0

3

2

0.105

1

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

5

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0.108

0

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

9

2-2

0-0

0-0

1/3

4

0

1

2

0

0

6

0.365

4

Sat 03/07/09

Texas

W, 83-73

H

10

1-1

2-2

0-0

0/1

1

0

1

0

0

1

6

0.353

4

Thu 03/12/09

Baylor

L, 64-71

H

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

6
0.2

8
0.3

22
0.7

0
0.0

–

86
2.7

TOTALS
AVG

40

1

0-0

0-0

225
7.0

33-58
56.9%

17-32
53.1%

3-8
45
20/25
37.5%
1.4

29

–

Conner Teahan

Junior | Guard | 6'5" | 215 lbs | Leawood, KS

2

#

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

C

onner Teahan didn’t have to be a Jayhawk.
That sounds like an odd statement. Being a KU
basketball player is generally considered to be a desirable thing. But the appeal of sitting on the bench at Kansas is
not black and white, there are plenty of shades of grey.
For a guy like Teahan, there were plenty of options. He was
never a blue-chipper, but he drew some interest as a two-sport
star at Missouri’s Rockhurst High. Tulsa tried to talk him into
accepting a scholarship as a football quarterback. Wichita State
offered a basketball scholarship. All Bill Self could offer the local
prep star was an invitation to walk on at Kansas.
A tough kid, 6'5", 215 pounds? Sounds like Tulsa would
have had a steal at QB had Teahan gone that route. But something else spoke to Teahan, maybe it was his inner child.
“It was the atmosphere, the coaches, and how much I’ve
always loved them,” Teahan told Phog.net after committing to
Kansas. “It feels good to have everything done. It feels even
better that I’m going to KU, especially since that’s always been
my dream.”
Turning down scholarship offers had to be difficult, but

Teahan got the last laugh when the Jayhawks
cut down the nets in 2008. He played in 21
games that magical season, drilling 12-20
three-point attempts for a sterling 60%
mark. He made the most of limited playing
time, tallying an amazing 81.5% eFG percentage. The eFG stat
gives an idea of how efficiently a player shoots, so, that’s pretty
danged efficient.
Teahan’s best game that season was a seven-minute outing at home against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. In that
limited amount of time, Teahan drilled 3-3 from behind the arc,
and dished out an assist. Teahan saw some court time against
KU’s first three opponents in the Big Dance, which had to be
encouraging for a guy still hoping to get a scholarship offer
somewhere down the road.
Last season, that dream took a hit, as Teahan’s already
minimal role was diminished further by the emergence of scholarship athletes like Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, and Tyshawn
Taylor. Oddly enough, Teahan saw his minutes increase in spot
duty, though his scoring average went down to 0.7 points per
contest. Playing ten minutes in a blowout of Florida Gulf Coast,
he had a good game, netting five points and grabbing three
rebounds. Against New Mexico State, he logged 11 minutes
and grabbed four rebounds. His final double-digit game of the
season came at the Sprint Center, as he played 17 minutes in a
close loss to UMass. He had another decent game, tallying five
points, five rebounds, and an assist in front of supportive friends
and family.
With a whole new crop of blue-chip freshmen coming in
to join the battle-tested crew Bill Self has already assembled,
Teahan’s prospects for further meaningful playing time are getting pretty slim. The popular local guy will likely be relegated to
mop-up duty from here on out, until he gets the traditional start
on Senior Night in 2011. With any luck, that means we’ll be seeing plenty of Mr. Teahan.
One interesting side note: Conner Teahan has never missed
a free-throw attempt in his career at Kansas. If he can teach his
teammates to remain cool under pressure and stroke their freebies in the upcoming season, he’ll be worth his weight in gold.
In the meantime, expect Kansas fans to cheer long and
loud when the man from Leawood checks into the game.

41

Conner Teahan
GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS
2008–2009
Date

Opponent

Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts
0

Sun 11/16/08

Missouri-Kansas City

W, 71-56

H

4

0-2

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

3

0

0.000

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

10

1-5

2-2

1-4

0/3

3

0

0

0

0

1

3

0.156

5

Mon 11/24/08

Washington

W, 73-54

N

1

1-1

0-0

1-1

0/0

0

0

1

0

0

0

4

2.370

3

Tue 11/25/08

Syracuse

L, 81-89

N

4

0-2

0-0

0-2

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0.000

0

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

4

0-1

0-0

0-1

1/1

2

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Mon 12/01/08

Fri 11/28/08

Kent State

W, 87-60

H

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

1

1

0

0

0

2

0.563

0

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

11

0-0

2-2

0-0

1/3

4

0

0

0

0

0

5

0.227

2

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

4

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 12/13/08

Massachusetts

L, 60-61

N

17

2-3

1-1

0-1

2/3

5

1

0

1

0

1

8

0.294

5

Tue 12/23/08

Arizona

L, 67-84

A

3

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

6

0-2

0-0

0-2

0/0

0

1

1

2

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 01/10/09

Michigan State

L, 62-75

A

1

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0.000

0

Sat 01/17/09

Colorado

W, 73-56

A

3

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0.000

0

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 01/31/09

Colorado

W, 66-61

H

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.333

0

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

1

0-2

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sun 03/01/09

Missouri

W, 90-65

H

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

1

1

0.270

0

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

1/0

1

0

0

0

0

1

1

0.274

0

Fri 03/20/09

North Dakota State

W, 84-74

N

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

0

0

0.000

0

TOTALS
AVG

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

81
3.9

4-22
18.2%

5-5
100.0%

2-17
11.8%

5/13

18
0.9

3
0.1

3
0.1

4
0.2

0
0.0

10

–

–

15
0.7

Pts

2007–2008
Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Fri 11/09/07

Date

Opponent
Louisiana-Monroe

W, 107-78

H

2

0-2

0-0

0-1

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0.000

0

Thu 11/15/07

Washburn

W, 92-60

H

5

2-2

2-2

2-2

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

2

8

0.857

8

Wed 11/21/07

Northern Arizona

W, 87-46

H

7

3-3

0-0

3-3

0/0

0

1

0

0

0

1

10

0.883

9

Wed 11/28/07

Florida Atlantic

W, 87-49

H

9

3-4

0-0

3-4

0/1

1

1

0

1

0

1

9

0.614

9

Wed 12/05/07

Eastern Washington

W, 85-47

H

2

2-2

0-0

1-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

1.391

5

Sat 12/08/07

DePaul

W, 84-66

H

4

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/1

1

1

0

0

0

0

1

0.137

0

Sat 12/15/07

Ohio

W, 88-51

N

3

1-1

0-0

0-0

0/2

2

0

1

1

0

0

4

0.750

2

Sat 12/22/07

Miami (Oh.)

W, 78-54

H

3

1-1

0-0

1-1

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

0.686

3

Sat 12/29/07

Yale

W, 86-53

H

3

0-2

0-0

0-2

0/0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0.000

0

Tue 01/08/08

Loyola (Md.)

W, 90-60

H

6

2-3

0-0

1-2

1/1

2

0

0

1

0

0

5

0.430

5

Sat 01/12/08

Nebraska

W, 79-58

A

1

1-1

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

1.201

2

Mon 01/14/08

Oklahoma

W, 85-55

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0.611

0

Wed 01/23/08

Iowa State

W, 83-59

H

3

0-1

0-0

0-0

0/2

2

0

0

0

0

0

1

0.177

0

Sat 01/26/08

Nebraska

W, 84-49

H

3

0-2

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Mon 02/04/08

Missouri

W, 90-71

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 02/16/08

Colorado

W, 69-45

H

3

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/0

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Mon 03/03/08

Texas Tech

W, 109-51

H

5

1-1

0-0

1-1

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

1

2

0.213

3

Thu 03/20/08

Portland State

W, 85-61

N

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 03/22/08

UNLV

W, 75-56

N

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Fri 03/28/08

Villanova

W, 72-57

N

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

64

16-27

2-2

12-20

1/8

9

6

2

7

1

6

–

–

46

TOTALS

42

Chase Buford

Junior | Guard | 6'3" | 210 lbs | San Antonio, TX

41

#

y y An invited walk-on with strong
KU ties, Buford is the son of former
Larry Brown assistant and current
Spurs general manager R.C. Buford.
His mother, Beth, was a member of
the Kansas Golf team from 1975–78. Four other members of his
immediate family attended KU as well.
y y Texas forward Alexis Wangmene is an adopted member of
the Buford family. The French-speaking Cameroon native was
discovered by R.C. Buford during a trip to South Africa as part of
the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program. The Bufords are
Wangmene’s legal guardians in the US. Chase Buford refers to
Wangmene as his brother.
Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y Buford is a star in the classroom. His major is business
finance, and his academic performance in spring 2008 earned
him a spot on the athletic directors’ and Big 12 commissioner’s
honor rolls.
y y Saw playing time in the NCAA Tournament last season,
notching one minute against Dayton.

y y Played both football and basketball at San Antonio’s Alamo
Heights High.
Overall Career
Season

G

MPG

FG-A

FG%

FT-A

FT%

3-A

3PT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

TO

PF

Pts

PPG

2007-08

13

1.6

1-9

11.1

0-0

–

0-6

0.0

0.4

0.1

0.1

0.1

2

4

2

0.2

2008-09

11

1.2

2-4

50.0

0-0

–

0-1

0.0

0.5

0.0

0.0

0.0

1

2

4

0.4

TOTALS

24

1.4

3-13

23.1

0-0

–

0-7

0.0

0.5

0.0

0.1

0.0

3

6

6

0.3

2008–2009 Game-BY-GAMe

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Date

Opponent

Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

1/2

3

0

0

0

0

1

2

0.520

0

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

1

1-1

0-0

0-0

1/0

1

0

0

0

0

0

3

1.878

2

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

1

1-1

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

1

2

1.024

2

Tue 12/30/08

Albany

W, 79-43

H

3

0-1

0-0

0-0

0/1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Mon 01/19/09

Texas A&M

W, 73-53

H

1

0-1

0-0

0-1

0/1

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0.000

0

Mon 02/02/09

Baylor

W, 75-65

A

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Wed 02/18/09

Iowa State

W, 72-55

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Wed 03/04/09

Texas Tech

L, 65-84

A

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

Sun 03/22/09

Dayton

W, 60-43

N

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0.000

0

13

2-4

0-0

0-1

2/4

6

0

0

1

0

2

–

–

4

TOTALS

43

Jordan Juenemann

Sophomore | Guard | 6'4" | 195 lbs | Hays, KS

40

#

went 14–7, with the guard averaging 17.3 points, six rebounds, and
four assists per game. Juenemann
was also team MVP, and earned
first-team all-star honors in the
Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Was third-team All-State in
Kansas’s 5A classification.
y y Hays won the WAC championship when Juenemann was a
sophomore.
y y Lettered in track at Hays for two years.
y y Juenemann’s older sister, Jessica, graduated from KU in
2008.

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y Walk-on Juenemann played in five games as a freshman. He
logged two minutes against Florida Gulf Coast, and one minute
each against New Mexico State, Jackson State, and Nebraska.
He played less than a minute against Coppin State.
y y In his senior season at Hays High School, Juenemann’s team

y y The sophomore guard is an academic stalwart who maintained a 3.98 GPA in high school. Was a member of the KBCA
All-State Academic team, and earned more academic honors
from Hays City Shootout All Academic Team, Dodge City Tournament of Champions All Academic Team, and American Legion
School Award for Academics.
y y Juenemann plans to put his academic skills to the test,
hoping to become an orthopedic surgeon or radiologist after
graduating from the University of Kansas. He would also like to
play basketball overseas.

2008–2009 Game-BY-GAMe
Date

Opponent

Result

Loc

Min

FG-A

FT-A

3-A

O/D

Rb

A

St

TO

Blk

PF

Eff

Eff/Pos

Pts

Tue 11/18/08

Florida Gulf Coast

W, 85-45

H

2

0-1

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

Fri 11/28/08

Coppin State

W, 85-53

H

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Wed 12/03/08

New Mexico State

W, 100-79

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sat 12/06/08

Jackson State

W, 86-62

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sat 02/21/09

Nebraska

W, 70-53

H

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

0-1

0-0

0-0

0/0

0

0

0

1

0

1

–

–

0

Photo: Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics

TOTALS

44

C. J. Henry

Freshman | Guard | 6'4" | 205 lbs | Oklahoma City, OK

13

#

never rose above A-ball, the lowest
level of the minor leagues.

y y C.J. originally committed to play
for John Calipari at Memphis when
his baseball career ended, but was forced to sit out as a medical redshirt with a foot injury. When Calipari left for Kentucky,
Henry and his brother both chose to come to Kansas instead.
y y Playing for a team with a mythical bird for a mascot
shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bother Henry. On the diamond, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suited up for the
Charleston RiverDogs and the Lakewood BlueClaws.

y y C.J. may have been a stronger baseball prospect, but he was
no slouch on the hardwood. He played varsity as a freshman on
a team that won the Oklahoma 6A state championship, contributing 9.4 points per game. As a senior, his all-around game
produced averages of 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists,
and 2.4 steals per game, while shooting 58% from the field,
36% from deep, and 80% from the charity stripe.

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y C.J. Henry is the oldest player on the Kansas roster, at age
23. Though he and kid brother Xavier have the same class
standing, C.J. is five years removed from his prep hoops career
at Putnam City High School.

y y Parents Carl and Barbara Henry both played basketball
at KU. Carl for Ted Owens and Larry Brown, and then-Barbara
Adkins for Marian Washington.
y y C.J. is technically a walk-on at Kansas. He wears #13 in
honor of his father, who wore it during his time on Mount Oread
in the 1980s.

y y Henry was a first-round pick of the New York Yankees in
2005. He also spent time with the Phillies farm organization, but
C.J. Henry Minor League Batting Statistics
Year

Age

Org.

Level

Pos

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

SB

CS

BB

SO

AVG

OBP

SLG

OPS

2005

19

Nyy

Rookie

ss

48

181

32

2006

20

Nyy

A

ss

77

275

35

45

9

3

3

17

17

4

17

39

.249

.333

.381

.714

66

19

3

2

33

14

4

32

86

.240

.330

.353

.683

20

Phi

A

ss

25

91

13

23

3

4

1

16

1

0

7

25

.253

.313

.407

.720

2007

21

Phi

A

of-3b

102

342

46

63

12

4

9

38

13

3

18

139

.184

.238

.322

.560

2008

22

Nyy

A+

of

20

64

7

15

2

0

2

6

3

2

5

24

.234

.319

.359

.678

272

953

133

212

45

14

17

110

48

13

79

313

.222

.296

.353

.649

Photo: Steve Snowden/Getty Images

Minor League Totals - 4 Seasons

45

Jeff Withey

Freshman | Center | 7'0" | 225 lbs | San Diego, CA

5

#

eligible. He joined teammate Conner Teahan
and dozens of varsity athletes from every
part of the KU Athletics Department in
the Second Annual Jayhawk SAAC Special
Olympics Bowling Challenge on April 27 of
2009. Clearly, this is a guy who’s becoming a full member of the
Lawrence community.

y y Jeff Withey is a mobile big man who can run the floor, block
shots, and is equally effective in the post or shooting a jumper.
y y Withey originally committed to Lute Olson at Arizona. Following Olson’s leave of absence, Kevin O’Neill’s unrenewed contract,
and further signs of instability in Tucson, Withey made the leap
to Kansas.
y y Speaking of his decision to transfer, Withey told Scout.com,
“It’s definitely been a roller-coaster ride. You can’t really control
a lot of it and you’ve just got to make the best of it. That’s what
I’m doing with this transfer to Kansas.”
y y Despite sitting out his transfer year, Withey has been granted
redshirt freshman standing at KU. He will stay on the bench
throughout the fall semester of the 2009–10 season, then
take the floor with three and a half years of collegiate eligibility
remaining.
y y During his senior season at San Diego’s Horizon High School,
Withey produced a dominant statistical line: 69% shooting,
20.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 7.3 blocked shots, and 4.1 assists
per game.
y y Rated as the #8 center recruit in the nation by Scout.com.
y y Withey hasn’t just been sitting around waiting to become
46

y y Looking at his Jayhawk teammates, Withey believes his game
most approximates that of Marcus Morris, due to his ability to
bang inside as well as step out for a long-range bomb. Guess
which one he’ll do more of?
y y Withey arrived at KU in January of ’09 from his home in
Southern California, and got a crash course in Kansas weather.
It was the first time he had ever seen snow in his life. After a
month on campus, he told the Journal-World, “I like the snow.
I think that’s kind of fun, but we haven’t seen it in a little while.
It’s just different. I like different. It’s a little wacky how it changes
up and down. Today was hot. Yesterday was freezing.” It’s only the
beginning, young Padawan.
y y Withey’s older brother is a firefighter in California. Withey
says he has always looked up to his elder sibling, but finds it
difficult to be out of communication with him during the state’s
frequent summer wildfires.
y y Arizona originally refused to release Withey from his scholarship, but relented in late December of 2008—just in time for
Christmas, actually—making him the only gift Bill Self has ever
received that was taller than the tree. The center’s eligibility at
Kansas will begin in December of ’09, so Kansas fans who leave
town for winter break will be missing something special.

Photo: Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y Remember Brook and Robin Lopez, the seven-foot twins
who made Stanford a force in the Pac-10 a couple of years
ago? Withey faced them in high school. In a February interview
with Jesse Newell of the Lawrence Journal-World, the San Diego
native recounted the experience. “That was probably my biggest
memory in high school,” said Withey. “It was my sophomore
year. We played the Lopez twins to get to [the state tournament]. It was a double-overtime game. We ended up winning
by one. I’ve played with them before, actually, on my club team,
so I knew them pretty well. It was a big step, because beating
them, I get to talk trash and all that. It was fun. Just everything
about that game was real memorable. They’re in the [NBA]
now. But just watching them on TV it’s just like, ‘I played against
them. I beat them.’”

Xavier Henry

Freshman | Guard | 6'6" | 220 lbs | Oklahoma City, OK

1

#

College. He started in his junior year under
Ted Owens, averaging 17.4 points and 6.4
rebounds per game as a 6'5" guard/forward.
Larry Brown took over in his senior season,
and Henry again started, averaging 16.8
points and 6.3 boards and becoming an All-Big Eight selection.

y y The Henry family also boasts two Jayhawk women’s basketball players: Barbara Henry, nee Adkins, played for Marian Washington before marrying Carl. The brothers’ aunt Vickie Adkins is
still fourth on the Lady Jayhawks’ all-time scoring list. She made
the All-Big Eight first team three times in the early 1980s.

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y The pearl of KU’s 2009 recruiting class, Xavier Henry may
remind some of Brandon Rush. He’s tall, strong, and can play
anywhere from the 1 to the 3 spot. He has the speed to drive to
the bucket, and the range to make defenders pay for playing off,
but will need to learn to play defense the Bill Self way. He is very
likely to start anyway.
y y Originally planned to join his brother, C.J., at Memphis, but
changed his mind when John Calipari left for Kentucky. Both
brothers wavered in their commitment briefly after reading an
unflattering portrait of their family in the Kansas City Star. A visit
from Bill Self calmed the waters.
y y Led Putnam City High to the 2009 Oklahoma 6A state championship, averaging 28.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and
2.1 assists per game as a senior. Shot an excellent 43% from
behind the arc, as well.

Photo: Doug Benc/Getty Images

y y Also claimed a state title as a high school freshman, and
four conference titles in four years.
y y Henry displayed his complete offensive skill set in the 2009
McDonald’s All-American Game, scoring 14 points to go with five
rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
y y Xavier and his brother C.J. come from a Jayhawks family. Their
father, Carl, came to Kansas after two years at Oklahoma City

y y Many are speculating that Xavier Henry will be the first oneand-done player in KU history. Henry’s decision not to attend
summer classes at Kansas this year would seem to support that
theory, though the official reason given by Henry was that he
needed a root canal and other dental work done in his hometown of Oklahoma City before he could enroll. Older brother C.J.
also arrived in August.
y y Xavier considered playing a year overseas rather than signing
with a college program, after talking to Brandon Jennings, who
spent a year abroad before entering the NBA Draft. His father,
Carl, elaborated on his reasons for choosing to come to Kansas
instead during a June interview with the Lawrence Journal-World.
“They [the European team] could get him $1 million a year,” Carl
said. “But he’s not interested in that. He needs instruction and
you don’t get that overseas. Overseas they put you in and want
you to score. There’s no talk of Europe at all.”
y y In a one-on-one interview with the Journal-World’s Tom
Keegan, Henry allayed fears that he would let his press clippings
go to his head. He disparaged showboating players with these
words: “You’ll see some guys start to think they are the best
player ever,” Henry said. “They start acting crazy, become hardheaded and don’t listen to anybody. I’ve played with a couple of
guys who have gotten big heads, and they don’t listen.” Add the
word “coachable” to his already impressive resume.
y y The Henry family calls Oklahoma City home, but Xavier
wasn’t born in the Sooner state. He was born in Europe—in
Ghent, Belgium, to be precise—where his father was playing for a
team known as Bobcat Ghent in 1991. The family chose Xavier’s
name after meeting a Bobcat trainer with the rare moniker.
The family stayed in Ghent until 1993, then moved back to the
United States, where Carl became an AAU coach and personal
trainer.
47

y y Bill Self, speaking to KUAthletics.com,
had this to say about Johnson the day he signed: “Right now, Elijah
is not a true point guard. He is a scoring, fast, active guard. He can
play point but he is more of a combo than a point. We think his
potential is very high and he has a chance to be a terrific player.
Athletically, he will have very few equals.”

y y A five-star point guard from Cheyenne High School, Elijah
Johnson considered two other Big 12 schools—Texas and
Oklahoma—before committing to Kansas. He signed after
attending the 2008 Late Night and seeing the championship
banner raised in Allen Fieldhouse.
y y Johnson brought several family members with him on his official recruiting visit to Lawrence, and told Scout.com, “It was fun,
I had fun the whole weekend and it was a good environment to
be in. I can’t wait to go back down there.” After Johnson signed
his letter of intent, his new coach said, “Elijah is outgoing. He
likes Kansas. He’s been out here a couple of times. I think he’s
one of those guys who has always pictured himself playing here.”
y y Johnson also considered his hometown option, UNLV, and
West Coast powerhouse UCLA.
y y As a senior, Johnson paced Cheyenne High, averaging 15.9
points, 4.8 assists, and 4.0 rebounds.
y y In his junior season, Johnson averaged 15.7 points, 7.4
rebounds, and 8.9 assists in taking his team to the state championship game, where they lost to a team from Reno.
y y Scored 26 points in a single quarter as a high school junior.

48

y y Despite coming from opposite ends of the United States—
Johnson from Las Vegas, Robinson from a prep season in New
Hampshire—the two freshmen had met before they decided to
share rooms at Jayhawker Towers. They also roomed together at
the Reebok All-America Game in Washington DC in April.
y y As a backup point guard, Johnson will need to shadow senior
Sherron Collins in order to learn the tricks of the trade at his
natural position. Nonetheless, the newcomer has been grateful for the informal tutelage of off-guard Tyshawn Taylor, as well.
“Tyshawn’s only been here a year, but the small stuff he picked
up in a year he’s helping me with already, like attacking and
being aggressive,” Johnson told the Journal-World. “He told me
it’s going to get hard, real hard, and there will be a point where
I don’t feel like playing basketball and that will be my test. He
said, ‘As crazy as that might sound, you are going to see what I
mean one day.’ When he said that he kind of gave me a look. I
keep picturing that look every time I think about the season.”
y y Johnson has called this his “learning year” at KU, but would
prefer to be available for games rather than redshirting. With
Collins due to graduate after this season, it seems likely that
Johnson will get some meaningful playing time; the better to
prepare him for an increased role in 2010–11.

Photo: Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y Johnson has already bonded with fellow true freshman
Thomas Robinson. Having undergone arthroscopic knee surgery
in late June, the young guard found getting around Mt. Oread to
be pretty difficult. His new roommate, a 6'9" power forward, was
always there to lend a helping hand. “He made sure we were
on time to class,” Johnson told the Lawrence Journal-World. “If I
wanted something to eat and didn’t feel like walking downstairs
to get in the car—or sit awkwardly in the car driving to the place
and taking 30 minutes to walk into the restaurant—he’d say, ‘I’ll
pick you up something. What do you have a taste for?’”

Thomas Robinson

Freshman | Forward | 6'9" | 230 lbs | Washington, DC
and a Reebok All-Star. By that point, it was
too late: Robinson signed with KU early in
the fall after witnessing the 2008 championship ring ceremony on an official visit. He
became KU’s first signing of the season on
November 12, 2008.

0

#

y y Unlike some highly-recruited athletes, Robinson knows he’s
signed on for some hard work. “I’ve got to get my footwork right
and just polish all my post moves,” Robinson told Scout.com.
“I’ve been working on hitting the 15-footer too and am trying to
improve my free throws. Everything has gotten better so far.”

Getty Images Sport/Streeter Lecka

y y Thomas Robinson was yet another player who considered
playing for John Calipari before deciding to become a Jayhawk.
Before his decision was made, he told Scout.com, “Anytime
[Kansas or Memphis] sign someone else, as far as other players,
I’ll be looking. I’m not saying I’m going to base my decision on
where John Wall and Xavier Henry go but I would like to play with
them. I feel that if I played with those guys we’d be dangerous.”
Wall followed Calipari to Kentucky, but Henry’s presence will
make half of Robinson’s dream come true.
y y Robinson played one prep season at Riverdale Baptist High
School, where he averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds, and five
blocks per game. He had 23 double-doubles that year.

Photo: Jeff Jacobsen/Kansas Athletics

y y You might want to sit down for this. Robinson’s best game
at Riverdale Baptist was a doozy. He put up 32 points, pulled
down 27 rebounds, and sent back nine blocked shots. Yes, in
one game.
y y Despite the jaw-dropping numbers listed above, Robinson had
only been offered by one school leading in to his senior year.
y y Robinson switched to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH for
his senior year, and the buzz took off. He averaged 16 points, 13
rebounds, and five blocked shots per game in his final year of
high school, and garnered accolades as a Parade All-American

y y Since moving to campus in May, Robinson has bulked up
in a good way, going from 219 to a reported 235 pounds. It’s a
Freshman 15 that should help him adjust to the banging in the
post that he’ll face as a Jayhawk.
y y While KU doesn’t have an official “Big Brothers” program,
sophomore Markieff Morris has taken it upon himself to help
Robinson acclimate, based on his own experiences of a
year prior. “He’s been like my big brother,” Robinson told the
Lawrence Journal-World. “He’s pretty much taken me under his
wing,” he said. “I have a tendency of moving too fast. He’ll slow
me down, tell me what to do, how to do it the right way. He’ll fill
me in on what I should expect, what not to do so I don’t get in
trouble, stuff like that.”
y y After going against Robinson in pickup games, Jayhawk
center Cole Aldrich praised Robinson’s range, work ethic, and
willingness to take direction. That, coupled with the freshman’s
proven ability to bulk up, speaks to a bright future at Kansas.
y y Robinson knows KU is not just about basketball these days.
He’s also plenty excited about the nationally-ranked Jayhawk
football team of coach Mark Mangino. “Our team will be real
good this year,” he told the LJW. “I’m going to show my support
because I know they’ll do the same for us.”
y y Robinson’s game was summed up well by ESPN.com’s recruiting page, which praised the up-and-coming big man for his
“take no prisoners attitude when it comes to hitting the boards,”
as well as his “strength and tenacity to power up in traffic to
finish above the rim.” The national sports site also noted that
Robinson is a vocal leader who runs the floor well and passes
well. Scout.com gave him a grade of 93 out of 100 as a prep
player.

he motto on the Kansas flag means “To the Stars
Through Difficulty.” It’s also a fairly accurate recap of the
recruiting trail for KU’s class of 2009. Bill Self and Kansas fans
have certainly learned over the years exactly how important
it is to continually replace talent in the Jayhawk basketball
program, no matter how difficult the task. Just a little over a
year removed from their 2008 national championship, it’s the
recruiting of Self and assistants Joe Dooley, Danny Manning,
and Kurt Townsend that has the Jayhawks poised to make
another national championship run in 2009–10. Not surprisingly, 2009’s recruiting haul of brothers Xavier (6'6", shooting
guard, Oklahoma City) and C.J. Henry (6'4", guard, transfer,
Memphis), Jeff Withey (7'0" center, transfer, Arizona), Elijah
Johnson (6'2", point guard, Las Vegas), and Thomas Robinson
(6'9", power forward, Washington DC) is yet another in a long
line of impressive efforts by Self and staff.

Writer and analyst Rob Harrington, who covers recruiting for USA Today and serves as the editor for PrepStars.com
and its partner magazine the Recruiter’s Handbook, thinks the
2009 class is an important one.
“Kansas has assembled one of those classes that could put
them over the top to win a national title this season, but one
that also could provide the foundation for a second national
championship down the road,” said Harrington. “It’s big on
elite talent and also the kind of blue-chip, four-year player
you have to have for the sake of continuity.”
Unafraid to chase after the nation’s top prospects, Self
has proven through the years that he is also capable of pulling
off last-second recruiting coups, and his classes haven’t always
come together in the most conventional of ways. No strangers
to watching transfers come and go, Self and his staff have also
mastered the art of picking up recruits just under the wire.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 51

A new generation of players grows a new generation
of fans.

in their careers. In fact, Self began recruiting Xavier when the
younger Henry was just an eighth grader.
Next, C.J. was a standout in both basketball and baseball
at Putnam City High. After verbally committing to play basketball at Kansas as a high school senior in the spring of 2005,
Henry was chosen by the New York Yankees in the first round
of Major League Baseball’s draft. Rather than play basketball
at Kansas, Henry chose the Yankees and their $1 million-plus
signing bonus.
While C.J. was off trying his hand at professional baseball,
Xavier was busy growing into one of the top five prospects in
the recruiting class of 2009. A physical southpaw capable of
posting up, attacking the rim, and smoking jumpers from well
beyond the three-point line, he became the object of an incredibly intense and high profile recruiting battle between John
Calipari of Memphis and Self. As it turned out, Calipari had
served as an assistant coach at Kansas while Carl played there
during the early ’80s so both programs had strong ties to Henry.
During the summer of 2008, C.J. unexpectedly chose to
end his pursuit of professional baseball and promptly walked
on the basketball team at Memphis. Eventually, Xavier followed suit when he announced on ESPN that he would be
joining his brother in Memphis and signed a letter of intent
during the fall.
As if things hadn’t been wild enough, John Calipari then
left Memphis for Kentucky in the spring. That change freed
Xavier from his letter of intent, and C.J. also decided to leave
Memphis. After weeks of speculation, the brothers finally
landed at Kansas. In fact, the question of whether or not the
duo would even show up in Lawrence wasn’t answered for
good until well into the summer, after a less-than-positive

Such was certainly the case when they added Brandon
Rush a few weeks into 2005’s fall semester, after Rush had
originally declared for the NBA Draft and then gone rounds
with the NCAA to gain academic clearance. Kansas fans are
also unlikely to forget Darrell Arthur canceling a press conference where he was expected to commit to Baylor only to
come back the next day and pick Kansas, saying that a dream
led him to do so.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that over half of this
year’s newcomers—the Henry brothers and Jeff Withey—
encountered some drama during
their non-traditional journey to
Lawrence. And in terms of recruiting
sagas, the recruitment of Xavier (who
initially signed with Kentucky) and
C.J. (who makes his way to Kansas as
a Memphis transfer) will go down as
one for the ages.
A full recap of the Henry
brothers’ story could fill an entire
magazine, but there are some basics
that everybody needs to understand in
order to fully appreciate how unique
this recruitment was.
To start, both the Henrys’ father,
Carl, and mother, Barbara, played
college basketball at Kansas, meaning
that the Kansas staff was well aware
Tim Jankovich (second from left) is now a head coach at Illinois State, but
of both Xavier and C.J. very early on
Manning, Self, Dooley, and Townsend turned in another top-notch recruiting class.

New Faces in the Phog
article about the brothers appeared in the Kansas City Star,
which prompted a meeting between the Kansas staff and the
Henry family to iron everything out.
Of course, if you are Bill Self or a Kansas fan the drama
was well worth it. Xavier, a McDonald’s All-American, fills
a potential hole on the wing, where he should emerge as an
impact guy on the offensive end, giving the Jayhawks a big,
physical scorer with range. In C.J.—who will compete as a
23-year-old redshirt freshman—the Jayhawks get another
versatile guard to add to what is already a deep stable of guys
who can play multiple positions in the backcourt.
According to Harrington, nobody will care how or why
the Henrys wound up at Kansas when the balls roll out for
practice in October.
“To me, the stuff with Xavier and C.J. Henry is a nonstarter,” said Harrington. “People might razz them about it initially, but once the season begins the focus will be on winning.”
In comparison to the Henrys, Withey’s path to Kansas
was relatively drama-free, but he didn’t arrive in Lawrence in
the most traditional manner, either.
After starring at San Diego’s Horizon High School,
Withey signed a letter of intent in the fall of 2007 to play
for the legendary Lute Olson at Arizona as a freshman in
2008–09. Withey then watched as Olson took a leave of
absence and returned after current Southern Cal coach Kevin
O’Neill handled coaching duties in 2007–08.
However, shortly after Withey arrived in Tucson for his
freshman season, Olson again stepped down. Rather than play
for interim coach Russ Pennell, Withey requested a release
from his scholarship and was initially denied. Finally, after
finishing a semester in good standing at Arizona, the sevenfoot shot blocker was granted a release and announced his
transfer to Kansas in December.
Withey will be available to play upon completion of the
fall semester and will have 3.5 years of eligibility remaining
after technically sitting out as a redshirt. An agile and swift
big man, he’s expected to be a force on the defensive end
where he’s earned praise as a shot blocker. Not devoid of
offense, he also has a soft touch to 12 feet but must add more
strength to a lean frame.
Rounding out the class were a pair of top-35 high school
prospects in Johnson and Robinson.
A high flyer from Sin City, Elijah Johnson is a longtime
Kansas fan who declared the Jayhawks his leader during
the spring of his sophomore year before committing in the
fall of 2008. An electric athlete, Johnson is blessed with an
explosive first step and leaping ability that allows him to finish
highlight dunks and scoops in traffic. A streaky shooter with
deep range, he’s got the talent to play immediately. However,
Johnson is also a little rough around the edges and will likely

Prized recruit Xavier Henry is expected to be the
breakout star of the class of 2009.
face some struggles adapting to the college game.
Thomas Robinson catapulted onto the national scene
seemingly out of nowhere during the summer between his
junior and senior years. After scouting him at the Reebok AllAmerican Camp in the summer of 2008, Self moved quickly to
land the long and athletic forward. A superior athlete and great
rebounder, it won’t be a surprise to see Robinson push for early
playing time in the Jayhawks’ loaded frontcourt.
In fact, Harrington wouldn’t be surprised if Robinson
ultimately emerged as the jewel of what not-so-easily turned
into an impressive recruiting class.
“Well, from a talent perspective you’d have to say
Henry,” finished Harrington. “He’s the ringer freshman who
can be the decisive factor for a club that already boasts loads
of talent and experience. Long term, though, Robinson is
one of those guys who could become the emotional backbone
of the team. Players like that fire me up, and I think he’ll
become very popular once he works his way into the rotation,
whenever that happens.” MSP

Eric Bossi is the founder and director of EBoss Hoops Scouting Service
and a member of the United States Basketball Writers Association. Bossi
has done freelance recruiting analysis for many outlets devoted to covering
high school basketball, including Scout.com and Phog.net. He has served
as a senior recruiting analyst for highly-regarded PrepStars.com and the
Recruiter’s Handbook for seven years.

The First Season
A Look at KU’s Non-conference
Schedule
by Marco Anskis

K

ansas is an elite basketball program with high expectations. Like any big-time school with dreams of
postseason glory, the Jayhawks have loaded their nonconference schedule with teams of varying strength, including
some they may see again at the end of the season. Counting
conference games, KU will face 13 foes who participated in
last season’s NCAA tournament.
This article will look at KU’s 2009–2010 non-conference
schedule in tiers, starting with the toughest tests and working
down to the upset-minded mid-majors.

The Heavyweights
UCLA Bruins
Date: December 6, 2009 (Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series)
Location: Los Angeles, CA (Pauley Pavilion)
Last Meeting: March 24, 2007, NCAA West Region
Final—UCLA 68, KU 55
Key Returning Players: Nikola Dragovic (9.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg),
Michael Roll (6.7 ppg), Drew Gordon (3.6 ppg)
Key Newcomer: Tyler Honeycutt, Freshman F (6'8", 180)
Buzz Heading into 2009: Though he hasn’t won a national
title since his 2003 arrival in Westwood, Ben Howland has
transformed the UCLA Bruins into a model of consistency
in the topsy-turvy world of college basketball. The numbers
from 2006–2008 speak for themselves: three straight Final
Fours, three straight Pac-10 titles, and three straight seasons
with 20 or more wins.
Despite the return of three key members from that impressive run and one of the nation’s best freshman prospects,
the Bruins’ consistency train hit an unexpected bump on the
tracks. Sure, they scored the most points in the Howland era
and won a more-than-respectable 29 games, but the team
struggled on the defensive end and on the boards, resulting in
a humiliating loss to Villanova in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament. That isn’t going to cut it in Westwood, home to
some of the most demanding fans in college basketball. Now,

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 55

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall

UCLA’s Nikola Dragovic has the confidence to lead his team against Kansas in the Big 12/Pac-10 Challenge.

56 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

(he was arrested for battery last November) than on it. He’s
got one last chance to finally live up to his potential.
The Call: Pauley Pavilion is never an easy place to win, especially in one of the first true road games of the season, but the
Bruins look too callow to pull off the upset.

Memphis Tigers
Date: November 17, 2009 (Hall of Fame Game)
Location: St. Louis, MO
Last Meeting: 2008 National Championship—
KU 75, Memphis 68 (OT)
Key Returning Players: Doneal Mack (8.7 ppg), Roburt
Sallie (5.8 ppg), Pierre Niles-Henderson (2.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Key Newcomers: Will Coleman (6'9", 265), Elliot Williams
(transfer from Duke, awaiting NCAA waiver)
Buzz Heading into 2009: Two years ago, Kansas and
Memphis played in one of the epic national championship
games in college basketball history, with the Jayhawks pulling
it out by the slimmest of margins.
Two seasons later, the two teams find themselves on opposite ends of the college basketball landscape. The Jayhawks
are gearing up for another national championship run while
Memphis finds itself picking up the pieces after John Calipari,
the coach who gave them their identity, fled for Kentucky
in the middle of the summer. To make matters even worse,
Calipari’s departure triggered a mass exodus of early entries
(leading scorer Tyrke Evans and leading rebounder Shawn

with the team’s top four scorers and senior leaders gone, can
this group of inexperienced Bruins get the program back on
track?
Major Strength: While last season saw a somewhat significant
decline in the Bruins’ typically tough-as-nails defense—the
team allowed opponents to shoot above 44% from the
field—make no mistake: Ben Howland’s Bruins thrive on the
defensive end. Howland’s teams and players typically display
outstanding fundamentals and play with intensity, and that’s
unlikely to change.
Major Weakness: The entire UCLA season may come down
to two questions: Who will do the scoring and who is going
to be the leader of this team? Not only do the Bruins lose
four of their five leading scorers (Shipp, Collision, Aboya, and
Holliday), they also lose valuable locker-room leaders.
So who will take the reins of this Bruins team in transition? A successful equation will depend on traditional role
players Nikola Dragovic, Michael Roll, and 6'8" James Keefe
stepping up into leadership positions, while talented-butunproven underclassmen Drew Gordon, Malcolm Lee, and
J’mison Morgan learn the offense.
Player to Watch: A role player for the Bruins during his first
three years despite being the team’s top returning scorer,
rebounder, and shot-blocker, Nikola Dragovic will need to
make the leap from complementary piece to major contributor and team leader. A highly regarded international prospect
just a few years ago, Dragovic has yet to make a major impact
at the collegiate level, making more headlines off the court

The First Season
Taggart) and de-commitments (top preps John Wall and
Latavious Williams), essentially gutting the roster. First-time
head coach Josh Pastner is left to pick up the pieces with the
cupboard nearly bare. Can he maintain the program’s resurgent national status, or will the Tigers fade away like UNLV’s
short-lived dynasty? No doubt they’d prefer to have at least
one championship first.
Major Strength: Last season, the Tigers had the best defense in
the nation, finishing in the top ten nationally in opponents’ field
goal percentage (37.1%) and points allowed (58.8 ppg). Even
with the loss of Calipari and defensive stoppers like Taggart and
Robert Dozier, don’t expect a massive drop off in one of the
most unrelenting pressure defenses in all of college hoops. The
Tigers still have one the best collections of pure athletes in the
game, and Pastner should continue to use the team’s size and
speed to control the glass and pressure opponents.
Major Weakness: Pastner’s biggest challenge at Memphis may
be managing the unrealistically high expectations of Tiger
fans after years of winning under Calipari. With almost 75%
of the offense gone, not only does another 30-win season
seem unrealistic, but with the improved play of teams like
Tulsa and UTEP, another runaway Conference USA title may
also be out of reach. Hopefully, Tiger fans will remember that
it took Calipari five seasons at Memphis before he reached
the 30-win plateau.
Player to Watch: If Williams is granted an NCAA family
medical waiver and can play this season, the former starting
point guard from Duke would greatly soften the blow of successive one-and-done seasons from Derrick Rose and Evans.
If Williams doesn’t gain NCAA approval, all the pressure
could rest on the (very large) shoulders of freshman Will
Coleman. A beast of a man at 6'9" and 265 pounds, with a 40inch vertical leap, Coleman spent last season dominating the
competition at Miami-Dade Community College. Described
by most as a freak of nature (he won the Georgia 100- and
200-meter championship in high school while weighing
250-plus pounds), he’s still quite raw on the offensive end, but
could develop into the perfect defensive stopper in the paint
to complement Memphis’s pressure.
The Call: This will be the Jayhawks’ first major test of the new
season, but in the early going, Memphis should still be in chaos.

Key Newcomer: Bak Bak (6'10", 200) certainly has the best
name of any incoming freshman.
Buzz Heading into 2009: Mike Montgomery... miracle
worker? That’s what Cal fans—once his biggest rivals when
he coached at Stanford—would have you believe after his first
season in Berkeley.
The Golden Bears were one of last season’s biggest
surprises, winning 22 games and reaching the NCAA
Tournament for the first time since 2006. The Bears also gave
the fans one of the most exciting offensive products in all of
college basketball, leading the nation in three-point shooting (42.7%). But 2009 is a different season, and the Golden
Bears aren’t going to sneak up on anyone. Being hyped as the
pre-season favorite in the Pac-10, can the Bears live up to
expectations or was last season just a flash in the pan?
Major Strength: No surprises, Cal’s strength in 2009 will
come from behind the arc. Both point guard Jerome Randle
and shooting guard Patrick Christopher—possibly the
best backcourt in the nation—are dynamic scorers that can
light up the scoreboard in a hurry. Role players like Theo
Robinson also thrive in Monty’s open offense. If the Golden
Bears are on from behind the arc and controlling the tempo,

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall
they can beat anyone in the nation.
Major Weakness: Just like any team that relies solely on the
three-point shot, they can lose to anyone if the shots aren’t
falling. Cal got little offensive production from their big guys
in 2008, and run the risk of being too one-dimensional on the
offensive end to be considered a serious Final Four contender.
They will also need to greatly improve on the defensive end
after allowing close to 70 ppg last season.
Player to Watch: Diminutive sparkplug Randle may be
the catalyst that makes the Cal engine go, but Patrick
Christopher is an NBA-level talent whose decision to return
to school makes the Golden Bears a Pac-10 favorite. A
physically imposing shooting guard at 6'5", he can score in
a variety of ways and can easily create his own shot off the
dribble. Playing in the same backcourt as Randle, Christopher
doesn’t have to worry about constant double teams. If he just
works on his defense, and he clearly has all of the tools to be a
successful defender, he could be the Pac-10 Player of the Year.
The Call: The three-point shot is the great equalizer in
college basketball, but KU is too big and too physical for the
Golden Bears to pull off the upset in Lawrence.

Tennessee Volunteers

return a massive amount of talent and experience (possibly
the most outside of Lawrence), making this one of the deepest
teams in America. The Vols return all five starters from one
of last season’s best offensive teams, while not losing a single
major contributor. In fact, the Vols’ projected second string
could probably be a pretty formidable starting five if they
played elsewhere in the SEC. The hope is that this group’s
chemistry will be greatly improved from last season and
that last season’s much-hyped freshmen Scotty Hopson and
Renaldo Woolridge step up defensively in their second season
in Knoxville.
Major Weakness: The Volunteer guards, mostly freshmen
last season, will need to figure out how to play defense in a
hurry if this team plans to compete on the national level. If
there was a common theme to last season, it was opposing
guards burning the Vols with career offensive outings. Just
ask Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks (54 points), Temple’s Dionte
Christmas (35), and Sherron Collins (26) how much they
enjoyed playing against the Vols. In fact, opponents shot a
blistering 33.7% from behind the arc against a Tennessee
defense that finished 295th in the nation in points allowed. If
the Vols plan to complete for an SEC championship, it’s going to be about stopping people every once in a while.

Buzz Heading into 2009: After earning a #2 seed in the
NCAA Tournament in his first season in Knoxville and reaching the Sweet 16 in his second, the natural progression should
have had the Vols take the next step in Bruce Pearl’s third
season in Knoxville. Pearl had just about everything he could
want in a team poised to make a Final Four leap: a pre-season
top-ten ranking, and the return of four starters and seven
players that saw significant minutes in 2007–08. On top of
that, he recruited one of the best freshman classes in America.
Despite all that, 2008–09 was a disaster. Though
Tennessee finished in the top 15 in points scored (78.4 per
game), the team was plagued by injures and inexperience
at the guard positions. Shockingly, they played some of the
worst perimeter defense in the country. It’s almost a miracle
the team earned a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing a last-second heartbreaker to Oklahoma State. But with
nearly everyone back in 2009, can Pearl turn this talented but
disappointing group into a Final Four contender?
Major Strength: For the second consecutive season, the Vols

58 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl is rockin’ the orange blazer,
and knockin’ on the door to Lucas Oil Stadium.

The First Season
Player to Watch: The main reason for optimism in Knoxville
is the return of Tyler Smith. Expected to be a mid-to-late
first-round pick, he spurned the NBA for one final season
on Rocky Top. A nightmare match-up because of his size
and speed, he led the Vols in points (17.4) and assists (3.3),
and was second in rebounding (5.8). Still, he struggled last
season on the defensive end (who didn’t for Tennessee?) and
doesn’t have the best shooting percentage from behind the
arc (29.2%). Still, if the versatile Smith can play up to his
All-America level talent, the Vols go from a Sweet 16 threat
to Final Four contender.
The Call: Very tough spot for the Jayhawks. A true road game
right before the start of the Big 12 schedule against a deep squad
with the size, depth, and talent to run with them. If Kansas loses
a game in the non-conference schedule, it will come here.

resurgence in Ann Arbor. The Big Ten’s reigning scoring
champ is a defender’s nightmare because of his speed off the
dribble, excellent finishing ability around the basket, and
range from the perimeter. If he does have a weakness, it’s that
he is very turnover-prone (finishing with the second most
giveaways in the nation).
The Call: Playing at home should be enough to carry the
’Hawks in a tight contest.

Why it’s Dangerous: One of KU’s few true road games,
including cross-country travel between holidays.
Player to Watch: With Dionte Christmas gone, it’s up to
Lavoy Allen to pick up the scoring slack for the Owls. He’s a
talented big man with silky-smooth moves in the post.
The Call: The Jayhawks could come out sluggish after traveling across the country, but Temple just doesn’t have enough
scorers to pull off the upset.

La Salle Explorers
Buzz Heading into 2009: Last season marked the return of
Michigan basketball to the national radar. In Jon Beilein’s
second season in Ann Arbor, he parlayed the skills of multitalented Manny Harris and his unique 1-3-1 defense into the
most successful season for Michigan basketball since the Fab
Five (incidentally, the last Wolverine team KU played against).
With the return of Harris and equally explosive
DeShawn Sims, the Wolverines will be one of the favorites in
the Big Ten along with Michigan State and Purdue.
Major Strength: It’s pick your poison for opponents of the
Wolverines, who may have the strongest one-two punch
outside of Lawrence in Harris and Sims. Harris is one of the
best pure scorers in the nation, with the ability to slash inside
and bomb from outside. Sims is a big man who shoots above
50% in the paint.
Major Weakness: While the Harris-Sims combo got
Michigan back on the radar, questions still remain about the
supporting cast. The Wolverines’ big two combined for close
to 50% of the team’s points last season while no other player
averaged more than seven. Good defensive teams will force
the team to find other options.
Player to Watch: Manny Harris is one of the most talented
scorers in America and one of the major reasons for the hoops

Date: December 12, 2009
Location: Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
Last Meeting: December 20, 1975 in Lawrence—
KU 74, La Salle 73
Why it’s Dangerous: KU fans only need to think back to
last December against an A-10 team (UMass) in the Sprint
Center. La Salle could sneak up.
Player to Watch: Freshman Aaric Murray is the best prospect
(rated #18 by Rivals) to head to La Salle in nearly three decades and the big reason that the Explorers are being considered an A-10 sleeper. The 6'11" beast and hometown product
gives the Explorers the perfect complement to leading scorer
and senior leader Rodney Green.
The Call: La Salle may be one of the country’s best-kept
secrets heading into the season, but this stage is still a bit too
large for them.

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall
Why it’s Dangerous: Hofstra, from the Colonial Athletic
Association, may not jump off the page of as a dangerous opponent, but it’s the first game of a pressure-packed season for
Kansas, and one needs only to remember 2005, when eventual
national champions North Carolina lost to a sub-.500 Santa
Clara squad to start the year.
Player to Watch: As a sophomore last season, Charles Jenkins
did everything for the Pride. He led the team in minutes,
points, assists, and steals, and didn’t miss many free throws,
either. With six seniors from last year’s team graduating, he’ll
probably have to do it again.
The Call: Nerves or not, the Jayhawks should still roll.

Belmont Bruins
Date: December 29, 2009
Location: Allen Fieldhouse
Last Meeting: N/A
Where You Saw Them Last: As a 15 seed in the 2008 NCAA
Tournament, nearly pulling off a stunning upset of Duke.
Player to Watch: 6'6" Ontario native Jon House is the team’s
only returning starter. He didn’t do anything truly noteworthy
last season, so he’s got to shoulder more of the load this time out.

Radford Highlanders
Date: December 9, 2009
Location: Allen Fieldhouse
Last Meeting: N/A
Where You Saw Them Last: Playing North Carolina in the
NCAA Tournament last season as a 16 seed.
Player to Watch: Artsiom Parakhouski, a 6'11" center from
Minsk, can get up and down the floor and has some nifty
moves around the basket. The big man averaged a doubledouble last season, but should be eaten alive by Cole Aldrich
and friends.

60 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

6'11" Minsk native Artsiom Parakhouski will rarely find
this much space when Radford enters the Phog.

The Rest
Alcorn State Braves
Date: December 2, 2009
Location: Allen Fieldhouse
Player to Watch: 6'3" Senior Troy Jackson led the SWAC
with 20 points and 2.5 steals per game.

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
Date: November 27, 2009
Location: Allen Fieldhouse
Player to Watch: Kevin Murphy is a 6'6" sophomore who can
nail the three and showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman.

Central Arkansas Bears
Date: November 19, 2009
Location: Allen Fieldhouse
Player to Watch: Senior guard Marcus Pillow is the
team’s biggest threat, but he will be blanketed by the KU
defense. MSP
Marco Anskis is the sports information director at Swarthmore College,
and the founder of the college basketball site StormingTheFloor.net. He has
written game stories for OwlSports.com and the Associated Press.

Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Where You Saw Them Last: Ending Penn and Princeton’s
stranglehold on the Ivy League by winning back-to-back
league titles.
Player to Watch: 5'11" senior guard Louis Dale is the best allaround player for the Big Red. He can score, dish, and defend.

The Usual
Suspects

2009–10 Big 12 Preview
by Cory Brenneman

T

he 2009–10 Big 12 promises to feature some of the best
teams in the country. Here is a preview of each team,
from worst to best, for the coming season. There is a
lot of ground to cover, so let’s dive right in.

Baylor Bears
Coach: Scott Drew (7th Season)
2008–2009 Record: 24–15 (5–11 Big 12)
The Bears revolve around sharpshooter LaceDarius Dunn.
He’s always liked shooting—he took a shot on 28% of his oncourt possessions last year, and 28.2% in 2008—and is accurate
from far away, hitting 38.8% of his threes as a sophomore and
41.6% as a freshman. Tweety Carter will likely be assigned
the position of point guard because of his short stature, but
he turns it over too much to hold down the spot long-term.
Quincy Acy is primed to take over for Kevin Rogers, and while
he isn’t as polished as his predecessor, he might be just as good.
Acy is a better shooter (65.5% from the floor last year), and
was better on the offensive glass and playing defense, blocking
more than 6% of opponents’ two-point tries.
Everyone else is a role player. Josh Lomers and Fred
Ellis are super rebounders, while providing little on offense,
and Anthony Jones isn’t much good at anything.
Nolan Dennis is the star of the recruiting class of ’09,
and he’s a slasher extraordinaire—drawing numerous comparisons to former Memphis Tiger Chris Douglas-Roberts—
with point guard skills. A.J. Walton is Curtis Jerrells 2.0:
He prefers to drive, but can also shoot and is a ballhawk on
defense. Cory Jefferson is a wiry (6'9", 190 pounds) athlete
with limitless potential. A year in the weight room and working on that 15-footer and he should be lighting up the Big
12. Mark McLaughlin is a slasher who can also, occasionally,
pop out for three. Givon Crump, on the other hand, is just a
long-range bomber.
There is a bunch of talent on this Baylor squad, with a lot
of unknown quantities. When you have this much ability this

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 61

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall
best player is probably Jaye Crockett, an uber-athletic small
forward, with combo guard Mike Davis having the potential
to start immediately. There’s also junior college transfer Brad
Reese, a three-point specialist.
The Red Raiders have some pieces to play with, but the
NIT is, most likely, as high as they can aim.

Colorado Buffaloes

Do Scott Drew and Pat Knight discuss their famous
coaching fathers during the pre-game handshake?
short on experience, the possibilities are endless. Jayhawk fans
should hope the Bears go dancing—the only two years they’ve
made the NCAA Tournament since 1950 have been 1988 and
2008.

Colorado guard Cory Higgins is awesome. He can shoot,
he can play super defense, he can drive, and draw fouls (he’s
really good at that). He’s an All-Big 12 talent, one of the more
underrated players in the country. The problem is, no one’s
there to help him out. Dwight Thorne III can really shoot the
three, but not much else. So can Nate Tomlinson. But there
aren’t any strong rebounders returning, no defensive studs to
slow down the opposition, nothing.
Bzdelik is bringing in a lefty combo guard in Alec Burks,
a developmental center in Shane Harris-Tunks, a three-point
shooter in Keegan Hornbuckle, and a developed point guard
in Shannon Sharpe. (With a name like that, how could he not
go to Colorado?)
Maybe in a couple of years Colorado can put together a
decent roster. But it isn’t happening any time soon. Ricardo
Patton sure did leave this program in a heap of trouble.

Gone are the days of general Bobby Knight in Lubbock, where
defense reigned supreme. Instead, the Red Raiders
are now offensively-inclined, with guard John
Roberson leading the charge. Roberson is a good
perimeter shooter who has problems with the
turnover bug. The real potential star is forward
Mike Singletary, who burst onto the national scene
against Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament,
scoring 29 consecutive points for the Red Raiders.
He is a slasher, drawing fouls (7.3 per 40 minutes,
ninth most in the entire country) like nobody’s
business. He’s a real star in the making. Guard
Nick Okorie is a nice mix of the two, who can
both draw fouls (4.9 per 40) and shoot the three
(37.5%).
Then you have the dime-a-dozen bigs down
low, led by Robert Lewandowski and his very accurate shooting (58.1%). There are also primary
rebounders, Darko Cohadarevic, Trevor Cook,
and D’walyn Roberts. Roberts is the best of the
bunch, specializing on the offensive glass.
Pat Knight and Company are going the
quick-fix route, bringing in three junior college
transfers and only two high schoolers. The
Missouri and Texas are among the stronger Big 12 teams this season.

Coach: Greg McDermott (4th Season)
2008–2009 Record: 15–17 (4–12 Big 12)
Like Colorado, the Iowa State Cyclones have one fantastic
player in forward Craig Brackins. He is kind of a ball hog,
though—he took shots on 36.5% of the ’Clones’ possessions
last season, good enough for eighth in the country. He is
deadly from 15 feet and in, and can pop out and hit a three
on occasion. He’s also one of the best defensive rebounders
in the entire country, which is always valuable. And what’s
really scary is he still has a bunch of untapped potential. Most
of his support comes from Diante Garrett, a drive-first point
guard who is an assist machine, and long-range bomber Lucca
Staiger, who shot 38.5% from three last season. Then you
have shooters number two and three in Jamie Vanderbeken
and Wes Eikmeier, and two super rebounders in guard
Charles Boozer and center Justin Hamilton. That’s about it.
Chris Colvin is clearly the star of the incoming class,
an uber-athletic shooting guard who can drive, shoot, play
defense—just about everything. The other three incoming
newbies are just role players: athletic Antwon Oliver, longrange bomber Marquis Gilstrap, and rebounder LaRon Dendy.
The Cyclones should not be overlooked, due to Brackins
alone, but they don’t have enough talent to seriously compete.

three-point acumen (along with a solid midrange game), and
forward Kourtney Robertson with his aggressive rebounding.
Then there is pure scorer (and not much else) Jeremy Adams
and the extremely athletic forward, Ray Turner.
A&M has the pieces to make the NCAA Tournament for
the fifth straight year, with a much better shot of making the
second weekend than in the past couple of years.

The Aggies figure to take a step forward in 2010, with a bonanza of returning players combining with some talented new
faces. Guard Donald Sloan headlines the returnees, an awesome
defender who takes good care of the ball on offense, as well,
with really good assist and turnover rates. Down low, Bryan
Davis is a fabulous rebounder, particularly on offense, and a
force defensively, with some decent range. Departed forward
Chinemelu Elonu was better at all of those things, though, leaving a gap. That space will be partially filled by David Loubeau,
a perfectly fine player who isn’t particularly good or bad at
anything. The most underrated player on the team, maybe in
the entire Big 12, is guard B.J. Holmes—he never turns it over
(second best in the country last season in turnover rate) and is
lights-out from three, shooting 41.5% in 2009. He should get a
starting gig. Other returnees include defensive stopper Derrick
Roland, bland forward Nathan Walkup, and raw, offensivelychallenged point guard Dash Harris.
Of the incomers, three stand out: guard Naji Hibbert
and his exceptional midrange game, Khris Middleton and his

Former Jayhawk player Mark Turgeon has learned that
you never take sides against the family during his years
in College Station.

In 2009, Nebraska was feisty, short, played outstanding
defense (first in the country at forcing turnovers), and hit treys.
Basically, they were a mid-major squad in the Big 12. Sek Henry
is the returning star from the team, an extremely versatile player
who can play both outside (34.2% from three) and inside. Also
returning is Ryan Anderson, the 6'4" guy often assigned the task
of guarding the other team’s power forward. He’s a good player
on defense, while on offense he’s essentially just a three-point
shooter. Toney McCray is a really good defensive rebounder,
and just about perfectly average at everything else. The team
will have to replace Cookie Miller, the five-foot-nothing point
guard who transferred to West Virginia. Two players who barely
saw any action last season, 6'11" centers Christopher Niemann
and Brian Diaz, figure to play a big role in providing some
much-needed height to the Cornhuskers. As good as the team
was in the turnover battle—and they were one of the best in the
country—they were just as poor in the rebounding department.
Just brutally awful, particularly on offense.
Besides Niemann and Diaz, some other low-post help is
on its way through the recruiting class of 2009. There is the

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 63

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall
inside-outside game of forward Brandon Ubel, who can drain
threes while also owning a substantial amount of low-post
moves, the incredible rawness of German forward Christian
Standhardinger, whose athleticism lets him pile up boards,
and the pure rebounding ability of 6'8" junior college transfer
Quincy Hankins-Cole. On the perimeter, the name to know
is Ray Gallegos, a ridiculously quick guard who can get to the
basket at will.
While the Cornhuskers appeared to be on the brink of
taking the next step at times last season, this doesn’t appear to
be the year to do it. They lose a lot of talent, particularly in the
form of incredibly underrated Ade Dagunduro and Miller, and
the NIT looks to be a fine goal for yet another year.

Oklahoma Sooners
Coach: Jeff Capel (4th Season)
2008-2009 Record: 30–6 (13–3 Big 12)
NCAA #2 Seed, Elite Eight
They were one of the nation’s best teams last season, but so
much of Oklahoma’s success was dependent on that one player.
You may have heard of him. And yes, Blake Griffin has taken
his game to the NBA, meaning a return trip to the Elite Eight
isn’t looking nearly as promising. However, despite the loss
of Griffin, it isn’t all negative for the Sooners. They still have
sophmore guard Willie Warren, after all, and him taking more
shots isn’t a bad thing at all. His eFG% (a stat that gives threepointers more credit because they’re worth more points) was
one of the highest in the conference last season because of his

balanced approach. He can drain it from deep while also being
able to drive, draw fouls, and all of that fun offensive stuff. He’s
a star in the making, and the clear leader of this team.
Helping him out will be three-point specialists Tony
Crocker and Cade Davis, along with the outstanding rebounding of forward Ryan Wright. Wright is the key to the
team, as he is going to be the most experienced man down
low only a year after being fourth on the depth chart behind
both Griffin brothers and Juan Pattillo, who was kicked off
the team in the spring for violating team rules. Wright will
have to step into some very big shoes.
He won’t have to do it all by himself, though, as he will
be joined by the seventh ranked recruiting class, according to
Rivals.com. Center Tiny Gallon, a McDonald’s All-American,
should help out in the low post. He struggles with his weight,
but when he can keep it down he’s just a monster, both inside
with his size and outside with his underrated jump shot. Joining
him down low are “effort players” Andrew Fitzgerald and Kyle
Hardrick, who are both beasts on the boards and have some
moves down low, particularly Fitzgerald. But the best member
of the class may be Tommy Mason-Griffin, the projected
replacement for departed Austin Johnson. He’s an offense-first
point guard, unlike Johnson, who can really light it up from the
outside. Rounding out the class is long-range bomber Steve
Pledger.
Obviously, the Sooners won’t be as good as they were last
year. But they should be more balanced, and if the Warren,
Gallon, Mason-Griffin trio sticks around for 2011, partisans can
start talking Final Four again. This year, an NCAA bid appears
likely, with the talent present to make a run deeper into March.

College basketball’s version of the spread offense, Travis Ford’s
Run and Shoot, lost its quarterback in Byron Eaton to graduation. Back, though, is the stud running back that carried the
team for stretches (uber-talented guard James Anderson), the
sure-handed slot receiver (three-point specialist Keiton Page),
the underrated and overlooked tight end (do-everything Obi
Muonelo), and the developing left tackle (forward Marshall
Moses, who began to dominate for stretches at the end of the
season). The Cowboys should be just fine, particularly in the
hands of Anderson, who has All-Big 12 written all over him,
and the frequently underrated duo of Muonelo and Moses,
who are beasts on the glass (two of the best defensive rebounders in the entire country). Both provide something different on
offense: Muonelo the three-point shot (39.8% last season) and

The Usual Suspects
Moses the effective hook in the lane.
Plus, the team gets reinforcements in the form of
the 11th-rated incoming class. The star of the group is
arguably super-athletic Karron Johnson, a 6'7" forward
whose specialty is the midrange game though he can pop
out or work down low just as well. He will be attending
junior college this year working towards becoming
academically eligible. The class is still impressive, with
5'9" point guard Ray Penn, who is as offensively skilled
as they get, and can shoot from half court. Rounding out
the top half of the class is forward Roger Franklin, who
is a great rebounder and good passer. He likes staying
down low, but Franklin has more range and can pop out
to around 15 feet. Centers Torin Walker and Jarred Shaw
are basically just rebounders, but Shaw does have a bunch
of athletic potential. Point guards Reger Dowell and Fred
Gulley, who both kind of sound like a poor man’s version
Obi Muonelo, Zaire Taylor, and Keiton Page return to battle one
of Eaton, close out the promising group of freshmen.
another and the Jayhawks this season.
The Cowboys are still very talented, and should be
excellent on offense yet again, particularly from long range.
actually. Jordan Henriquez is tall (6'11") and has potential,
They’ll miss Eaton, but definitely have the pieces to replace
but he’s not nearly strong enough (yet) to bang in the Big 12.
him. An NCAA berth should be expected, with enough talent
Guard Rodney McGruder (no, not McGruber) is a slasher
to make a sneaky deep run.
to the extreme with an okay midrange game but little threepoint range. He’s fantastic in transition, though. Guard Nick
Kansas State Wildcats
Russell is a very similar player, someone who is awesome in
Coach: Frank Martin (3rd Season)
transition but struggles with the jump shot. Finally, you have
2008–2009 Record: 22–12 (9–7 Big 12)
Martavious Irving, another slasher who prefers to play in the
open floor.
After a year’s hiatus from serious competition, Frank Martin
This team is packed full of athletes, with rebounders
and the Wildcats are back, returning nearly everyone from
to pick up the trash. It should be a path to success, and the
a dangerous team and adding the 20th-ranked class. Guard
Wildcats should make it back to the NCAA Tournament after
Denis Clemente is the best returnee (as the Longhorns can
a year off in 2009.
attest), combining his driving ability with an underrated
three-point stroke. Jacob Pullen likes the three even more,
Missouri Tigers
but isn’t quite as accurate as Clemente, yet he’s a thief on
Coach: Mike Anderson (4th Season)
defense. He is a hot-and-cold player, as is Clemente: When
2008–2009 Record: 31–7 (12–4 Big 12)
they’re on, they have enough firepower to take down a team
NCAA #3 Seed, Elite Eight
all by themselves, but they’ll also disappear for games on end.
Forward Dominique Sutton is their defensive stopper, who
Missouri was really, really good last season. It wasn’t a fluky trip
uses the offensive glass and draws fouls to score his points.
to the Elite Eight—according to the KenPom.com rankings, they
Forward Ron Anderson, an absolute monster rebounder,
were the sixth best team in the country last season—thanks to
announced that he will transfer, leaving Luis Colon to fill
an incredible balance between offense and defense. For most, it
his shoes, though Luis isn’t quite as incredible as Ron on the
came out of nowhere, of course, a year following a postseasonglass. Along with forward Jamar Samuels, an athletic freak
less 16–16 record in 2008. This year, expectations are at an
who struggles with his shot, K-State was the best offensive
all-time high, despite the losses of DeMarre Carroll, Leo
rebounding team in the country last season.
Lyons, and three-point specialist Matt Lawrence. The Tigers
In an effort to provide non-put-back production from
are returning plenty of talent, led by point guard J.T. Tiller,
down low, Wally Judge is making his way to Manhattan. He
the heart and soul of the team. He’s a poor shooter, but is
scores most of his points with his face to the basket, but isn’t
outstanding on the defensive end, and can set up his teammates
hopeless flipped around, either. He resembles Darrell Arthur,
incredibly well. Guard Zaire Taylor is a similar player—can’t

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 65

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall

Texas Longhorns
Coach: Rick Barnes (12th Season)
2008–2009 Record: 23–12 (9–7 Big 12)
NCAA #7 Seed, Round of 32
Kansas’s toughest competition for the Big 12 crown is, yet
again, the Texas Longhorns.
The teams are almost always 1-2 in the Big 12, and after
a substandard year in 2009 the Longhorns appear poised to
jump back on top. They’ll be led by do-everything-incredibly-well Damion James, who can play on the perimeter, drive
to the basket, rebound, and play pretty solid D. However, he
might not be the best player on the team, as center Dexter
Pittman is an absolute beast. The fourth best offensive rebounder in the country last season, Big Dex draws what seems
like a thousand fouls a game. Plus, he was developing some
low-post moves toward the end of the season, which basically
makes him and his incredible girth impossible to guard.
Forward Gary Johnson is a good complement for Pittman,
as he prefers to hang around 15 feet away from the bucket.
He’s got a great midrange jumper that’s his calling card, but
he can score closer in around bodies, too. Rounding out the
key returnees are the trio of no-shoot guards: Dogus Balbay,
Varez Ward, and Justin Mason. Balbay is a point guard at
heart who prefers to dish the ball off after driving into the
lane, while Ward is more of a pure scorer who looks to attack.
Mason is a defensive stopper, providing marginal production

66 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Kim English committed Tiger-on-Tiger crime in the 2009
NCAA Tournament. Will he continue to excel?
on the offensive end. If any of them, particularly Balbay, could
just develop a 15-footer, they’d be near unstoppable.
If that isn’t enough sheer talent for you, then let’s add
in the third-ranked recruiting class in the country, with only
three players. The best shooting guard in the class, Avery
Bradley, is the headliner: an absolute defensive stud who can
get to the bucket at will. Like seemingly every other guard
on the roster, though, he can’t really shoot. Fortunately, Rick
Barnes recruited someone that has a complete package on
offense in forward Jordan Hamilton. Anywhere from 25 feet
to above the rim, Hamilton can get it in the bucket. He might
be the best offensive player in the entire 2009 recruiting class,
really. Forward Shawn Williams can slash as well as shoot,
although he does prefer to put the ball on the floor. And
certainly don’t forget the x-factor of the entire Texas roster,
transfer point guard Jai Lucas from Florida. Lucas can really
light it up from deep, which is probably more important to
Texas than his point guard abilities. He has those too, though.
Texas is just ridiculously deep. So much talent, so much
potential, so much ability—really, they should probably be
Final Four favorites. Nothing’s a sure thing, obviously, but
the sky’s clearly the limit in Austin this season. Once again,
Kansas-Texas should be mind-numbingly awesome. MSP

Cory Brenneman is the son of two University of Kansas alums (Class of
‘88) and has been attending games at Allen Fieldhouse and Memorial
Stadium since he was a baby. He is the founder and lead writer for the
website, RockChalkTalk.com.

Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

shoot, but can sure play D—but is probably a little better at
getting to the rack. After those two seniors, the rest of the players are all young, athletic, and perfect fits for Mike Anderson’s
full-court style. Guard Kim English is the shooter from the
outside, forward Laurence Bowers the monster on the glass,
guard Marcus Denmon the defensive stalwart. Rounding out
the rotation are athletic freak Keith Ramsey and do-everything
Justin Safford. They all play some, none play too much, and all
contribute in their own way.
When you’re playing 12 people a game, though, you
always need reinforcements. Insert the freshmen: defensefirst Mike Dixon, who can kinda-sorta get into the lane but
can’t shoot at all, great rebounder Tyler Stone, who has a
nice 15-foot jump shot, and another awesome defender in
John Underwood. None have real superstar potential, except
maybe Dixon if he can establish a consistent jump shot, but
each should fill his role just fine.
No matter what happens, Mizzou won’t be as good as last
season. It just isn’t happening. However, it shouldn’t be a big
step back, and Mike Anderson is clearly building something
long-lasting in Columbia. That doesn’t mean Elite Eight
berths every year, but just getting into the Dance consistently
is no small change.

How To
Heckle The
Rest Of
The Big 12
by Rick Paulas

F

ew moments are quite as enjoyable in the entirety of the
sports world as the perfectly-executed heckle against a
divisional foe. So as a service to our readers, here are some suggestions for how to create the greatest possible heckles for the
rest of the Big 12. (Note: We are not responsible for any bodily
harm caused by the following heckles.)

Baylor Bears
Focus your heckles on coach Scott Drew, the son of
Valparaiso University coach Homer Drew. Bring a
large homemade chart showcasing, precisely, how much
prouder his father is of his other son (Bryce Drew, the hero of
Valparaiso’s first round upset win over Ole Miss back in 1998)
than of Scott himself. Also point out that Bryce has a much
cooler name.

Colorado Buffaloes
Bring a large abacus, wear a white lab coat, and thick, blackframed glasses. Explain mathematically why, even though
nearby Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) is notorious for high scoring games due to the altitude, basketball
games in Coors Events Center are so low scoring. After two
hours of calculations, conclude that it’s because the Buffaloes
are awful. It’s science!

Kansas State Wildcats
Spend the entire pregame mentioning to surrounding
Wildcats fans how excited you are to finally see legendary
basketball coach Bob Huggins in person as he patrols the
sidelines. When they try to correct you by saying Frank
Martin is, in fact, the current coach, don’t believe them.
There’s no way Huggins would leave after only a season at
Kansas State, not after all of the excitement he brought to the
campus with his perfectly greased hair. He wouldn’t leave an
esteemed university like Kansas State for West Virginia. They
must have horribly inaccurate information.

Missouri Tigers
Performing a three-part, one-person play about the rise and
quick, hard fall of former coach Quin Snyder should get the
trick done. At least one act should be entirely devoted to the
frustration Snyder encountered on a daily basis while trying
to get his hair to look… just… right.

Nebraska Cornhuskers
In honor of Nebraska alumnus Johnny Carson, break out
your best Carnac the Magnificent impression and read from
the following script:
(Carnac holds envelope to his turban)

Iowa State Cyclones
According to Iowa State fans, Hilton Coliseum has “Hilton
Magic” during basketball games because the fans create an
atmosphere that is horribly detrimental to foes. As soon as
the Cyclones start doing poorly—something that generally
happens in the first minute of the game—proclaim that the
stadium has Hilton Magic, alright. Paris Hilton Magic!

Carnac: Charles Barkley at the US Open.
Sidekick: Charles Barkley, ha-ha, at the US Open.
(Carnac opens envelope)

Carnac: Who has a better chance of winning than the
Cornhuskers?

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 67

It’s heckle or be heckled when you’re the guy in the stuffed Jayhawk head.

Oklahoma Sooners
Last year it was announced that, by 2013, the entire main
campus of the University of Oklahoma will be powered by
wind. Comment that they could probably have gone green
much more quickly if they just learned how to harness the
team’s massive amount of suck power!

Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Oklahoma State Student Union, reportedly the largest
student union in the world, was used in the has-to-be-awful
1992 direct-to-video thriller All-American Murder, starring
the esteemed and highly-imitable Christopher Walken. As
such, feel free to break out Walken’s infamous monologue
from Pulp Fiction, swapping out the uncomfortable gold watch
for an even more uncomfortable Pistol Pete.

Texas Longhorns
Longhorns center Dexter Pittman left high school at a
stout 388 pounds, a weight that dropped to 366 before he
enrolled at Texas. Pittman is currently “down” to 298 pounds.
Congratulate Sexy Dexy (his official nickname) on a job well
done losing all of that weight, and hope he can hear you
through your mouthful of delicious cheeseburgers, hot dogs,
and cotton candy. In fact, let him know that you’re so proud

68 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

of him, his next dinner at McDonald’s is on you.

Texas A&M Aggies
The school’s mascot, since 1931, is a border collie who goes
by the name of Reveille. At this point, 78 years into the tradition, the school is on their eighth dog, Reveille VIII, who
took over the mantle in 2008. Gain her trust by offering a
treat and giving her a slight ruffle of the fur, before bending
over, drawing close to her ear, and quietly whispering the
fates of the previous seven collies.

Texas Tech Red Raiders
Spend the entire game purposefully mistaking new head coach
Pat Knight for his father, Bobby. Examples include telling
everyone to keep chairs away from “Bobby,” commenting on
how he must be using some kind of hair tonic because his gray
has completely disappeared, and that he was the weak acting
link in the last year’s commercial for Guitar Hero: Metallica.
Although he did look good in those boxing shorts. MSP

Rick Paulas is a freelance writer, currently residing in Los Angeles, who
has yet to write a single sentence that is good for society. Some of those
sentences can be found at McSweeney’s, ESPN Page 2, Radar Magazine,
and The Heckler’s Prospectus.

Seven Keys
to Reaching
the Final Four
Combine the ingredients and increase the heat
slowly. Remove from oven in April and enjoy!
by Jacob E. Osterhout

S

omewhere out there in the miasma of the college basketball universe, hidden under Danny Manning’s old socks
or nestled behind Wilt Chamberlain’s knee pads, is the secret
to making the Final Four. Every year, four teams discover
this secret, but then quickly forget it as soon as the season
ends. In its entirety, the secret to college basketball success is
likely a complicated algorithm created over the years by James
Naismith, Dr. Phog Allen, and Adolph Rupp that the die-hard
college basketball fan, this writer included, cannot understand.
But that doesn’t mean we, the serious hoops fans, can’t
try to come up with our own equation for success on the
hard court. The fact is, if the Kansas Jayhawks are going to
make it to Indianapolis next April, they will have to meet
certain criteria that every Final Four team throughout the
decades has achieved to one degree or another.
The seven cylinders that must be firing for Kansas to

fulfill their enormous potential and steamroll their way to the
Final Four are point guard play, inside presence, three-point
shooting, depth, defense, coaching, and cohesiveness. How
does Kansas stack up?

Point Guards
Point guards drive a team. Every successful NCAA
Tournament team must have a point guard that can control
the tempo, drain a three-pointer, drive the lane, and, most
importantly, get his teammates involved. With the return of
5'11" senior Sherron Collins, the Jayhawks just might have
the best floor general in college basketball.
Collins averaged 18.9 points per game last season, but
more significantly, he boasted a 1.51 assist-to-turnover ratio,
and led his Kansas team—one that had lost its entire starting
lineup from the previous season—to a Big 12 regular season

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 69

While Aldrich’s defense certainly boosts
Kansas’s chances of returning to the Final
Four, it is the big man’s offensive improvements that will ultimately determine if the
Jayhawks will still be playing come April.
Aldrich has always been great when he
receives a lob pass over a fronting defender,
but he struggles at times to assert himself
offensively with his back to the basket. This
season, if he features a larger arsenal of
reliable post moves—a drop step or a jump
hook—and better court vision, which would
allow him to quickly find the open man on
the perimeter when double-teamed, Kansas
will be able to better control a game’s tempo
and have a good shot of surviving the early
Kansas has been there before, and has all the ingredients to get there again. rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Enter Arizona transfer Jeff Withey,
championship. When Collins is on the court, it’s no secret
a lanky seven-footer who will not only learn quickly from
who is in charge as the only part of the Chicago native that’s
Aldrich, but will test the All-Big 12 first-team player in
faster than his feet is his mouth. Never at a loss for words,
practice. A fallout from the Lute Olson retirement fiasco,
Collins will have no problem directing Kansas’s crop of
young, talented players.
Of course, Collins wasn’t perfect last season and will
have to improve certain parts of his game if Kansas is to gain
a spot in the Final Four in 2010. In last season’s Sweet 16 loss
to Michigan State, Collins scored 20 points on 9-13 shooting,
but he had only three assists to six turnovers, and failed to
assert himself against Spartan point guard Kalin Lucas at the
end of the game. Collins must improve his stamina in order to
finish late-season games as strong as he starts them.
Possibly the greatest benefit of the arrival of muchheralded freshman point guard Elijah Johnson is that he will
push the sometimes-indolent Collins to be a better player.
At 6'2", Johnson will force Collins to prepare against a much
bigger guard during practices. Plus, Johnson’s massive potential could create a healthy intrasquad competition that would
benefit both point guards.

Inside Presence
Inside presence is a necessity, as well. No championshipcaliber team is complete without a big man, someone who
literally looks down on his opponents. Thankfully for Kansas
fans, center Cole Aldrich ignored the lure of the NBA Draft
and returned to Lawrence for his junior season. The 6'11"
Aldrich averaged 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game
last year, but his biggest impact was on defense. Every time
opposing guards drove the lane, they had to take into consideration Aldrich’s 7'5" wingspan, which allowed him to average
more blocks per game than any other player in the Big 12.

70 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Cole Aldrich is a force on both ends of the floor, and he
has plenty of backup.

Seven Keys to Reaching the Final Four
Withey was once a top recruit, but he redshirted last season
and is now looking to make an immediate impact. If Withey
can play up to his potential, he’ll allow Bill Self the luxury of
clogging up the lane with two very large shot-blockers.

Three-Point Shooting
Three-point shooting cannot be overlooked as a requisite for
success in today’s game. With Collins or Johnson running
the point and Aldrich and Withey taking up real estate in the
paint, Kansas has the ability to play a very effective inside-out
game, but the Jayhawks must improve their three-point
shooting. During the 2008–2009 campaign, Kansas’s one glaring offensive weakness was long range shooting. Kansas shot
37.1% from behind the arc last season, despite shooting guard
Brady Morningstar knocking down 42% of his three-point
attempts. As Morningstar’s minutes inevitably diminish due to
the massive influx of talent in the latest recruiting class, fellow
shooting guards Tyrel Reed, Tyshawn Taylor, and Xavier
Henry will have to confidently knock down the open three
when given the opportunity.
As a sophomore, Taylor must improve upon last season’s
36.4% shooting from behind the arc. His ability to penetrate
the lane and either score or dish (or turn the ball over) is well
known, but he’ll have to become more comfortable from
downtown if he is to pose any sort of outside threat that
can draw opposing defenses out. Not to worry, though, the
offseason seems to have helped Taylor take his game to the
next level. The 6'3" shooting guard dominated the Under-19
World Championships, exploding for 18 points, six assists, and
five steals in Team USA’s 88–80 title game victory over Greece.
Competing for minutes with Taylor at the two spot
is prized recruit Xavier Henry, who by all accounts, has a
silky-smooth three-point shot. He is 6'6" and should have no
problem shooting over the outstretched hands of defenders.
Henry has to be able to take advantage of the opposing team’s
defensive convergence on Aldrich for Kansas to convert
consistently on offense.

Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Depth
Depth is also necessary for any championship contender to
survive the long college basketball season. Everyone knows
that Collins and Aldrich will anchor the 2009–10 Kansas
team, but if the Jayhawks are truly going to make a deep tournament run, they’ll need more than just their two returning
All-America candidates. They’ll need Taylor, Morningstar,
and Henry to step up, along with a supporting cast that feeds
off of their less visible roles. Final Four teams are defined just
as much by players who put up big numbers as players who
assert themselves at the right time of a game or a season.
To that end, Markieff and Marcus Morris must show

Tyshawn Taylor led Team USA to the U19 World
Championship this summer.
improvement this season. As freshmen, the two brothers let
the game come to them. Both the power forwards averaged
less than eight points and five rebounds per game. Right or
wrong, they were often considered two halves of one player,
and as they enter their sophomore season in Lawrence, they
will need to define themselves more as individuals, either by
grabbing more boards or developing a nice touch near the
hoop. The Morris brothers’ ability to perform at a higher
level will help take the pressure off fellow big man Aldrich.
The arrival of explosive power forward Thomas
Robinson should help motivate the Morris twins and provide
more depth inside for the Jayhawks. At 6'8", Robinson is an
aggressive rebounder who should complement some of his
more shot-happy teammates.
Then there is the case of swingman Mario Little. The
6'5" junior college transfer showed grit and scoring potential
last year while playing with a stress fracture in his lower left
leg. Due to the injury, he played more as a small forward, but
Little had successful surgery this offseason and hopes to play
more on the perimeter as a senior.

Defense
Defense must be emphasized for any team that dreams of
making the Final Four. Up until now, this whole article has
focused on what Kansas needs to do on offense to reach
Indianapolis, but as the old saying goes, “Offense wins games,
defense wins championships.” A true national title contender
must be stingy when it comes to giving up points.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 71

2009–2010 Kansas BasketBall
Consider this: Last season Kansas ranked in the top 40
nationally in points, assists, rebounds, and field-goal percentage per game on offense, but defensively, the Jayhawks were
only in the top 40 for opponents’ FG%. Their defense could
only limit opponents to 65.4 points per game, which was
just fifth in the Big 12. (Fortunately for the Jayhawks, their
offense wasn’t too shabby.) And let’s not forget, in their final
game of the NCAA Tournament, it was Kansas’s team defense
that failed them down the stretch. The Jayhawks simply
couldn’t stop Michigan State when they needed to.
But much has changed this season. With the arrival
of Xavier Henry, his brother C.J., and Elijah Johnson, and
the transition of Little to guard, the Jayhawks have grown
bigger and more athletic on the perimeter. They no longer
have match-up problems against teams with athletic shooting
guards that penetrate the lane with a quick first step.
Plus, fatigue should certainly not limit the Kansas defense. The Jayhawks return eight players who saw significant
playing time last season and added five big-time recruits.
There is no lack of talented players on the bench ready to
relieve a winded Jayhawk defender.
Which brings us back to the importance of depth in

college basketball, and if there is one thing that Kansas has, it
is a deep lineup. While most college basketball teams utilize
an eight-man rotation, the Jayhawks feature—at least on
paper—13 talented players who would start on almost any
team in the country. Even if Kansas started the reserves, they
would still be able to compete talent-wise with the best teams
in the nation. In its most positive light, the sheer amount of
skilled players on the Jayhawks bench will allow the team on
the floor to exert maximum energy throughout every game
without growing fatigued as the season wears on.
Kansas’s depth should also allow Coach Self to mix and
match his lineup to best stifle opponents. Think about this:
if Self wants to go big, he can feature a lineup where the
shortest guy on the floor is Xavier Henry at 6'6". If he wants
to go for speed he can put five players on the floor who can
all handle the rock and he still wouldn’t lose much of an
advantage on the boards.

Coaching
Coaching is an integral part of a team fulfilling its potential.
As great as it is to have so many gifted players on one squad,
an excess of talent can lead to team unity issues, as minutes
are at a premium. But a good coach is an expert at managing
personnel. Few college basketball teams have a coach as gifted
as Bill Self; he brings in the talent, cultivates it, and wins
championships. If any coach is capable of handling a 13-man
rotation it’s… Self himself.

Cohesiveness is the final key to a successful college basketball
season. Ultimately, the biggest obstacle standing in Kansas’s
path next season is itself. Can 13 talented players form a
cohesive squad capable of weathering—both physically and
mentally—the wear and tear of a five-month season? Or will
individual dreams and disappointments hamstring the team’s
overall goal of winning a national championship? After all,
a team has to bring its best effort every night without selfdestructing—either through argument, injury, or off-court
distractions.
Point guard play. Inside presence. Three-point shooting.
Depth. Defense. Coaching. Cohesiveness. All seven of these
criteria for reaching the Final Four appear to be strengths
for Kansas. But, luck also plays a major role. Only the season
will tell how fortuitous the Jayhawks will be, but one thing is
for sure: Even without a little help from the basketball gods,
based on talent alone, Kansas would certainly seem to have a
shot at winning it all. MSP

How Bill Self metes out playing time will be huge in
2009–10.
72 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Jacob E. Osterhout is a features reporter for the New York Daily News and
a regular contributor to SI.com and CBS College Sports.

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Cohesiveness

KANSAS JAYHAWKS
2008– 2009

season averages
NAME

GM

MIN

PTS

REB

AST

TO

A/T

STL

BLK

PF

FG%

FT%

3P%

Sherron Collins

35

35.1

18.9

2.9

5.0

3.3

1.5/1

1.1

0.0

1.9

.434

.795

.376

Cole Aldrich

35

29.6

14.9

11.1

1.0

1.6

1/1.6

0.6

2.7

2.6

.598

.792

-

Tyshawn Taylor

35

26.5

9.7

2.2

3.0

2.4

1.3/1

1.1

0.2

2.3

.506

.724

.364

Marcus Morris

35

18.5

7.4

4.7

1.1

1.6

1/1.5

1.0

0.3

2.5

.495

.604

.400

Brady Morningstar

35

30.4

6.5

3.0

2.6

1.3

2/1

1.2

0.1

1.7

.419

.793

.420

Tyrel Reed

35

20.7

6.5

1.9

1.1

1.0

1/1

0.7

0.0

1.6

.407

.825

.389

Mario Little

23

12.5

4.7

3.2

0.9

0.8

1.1/1

0.5

0.2

1.6

.512

.625

.375

Markieff Morris

35

15.6

4.6

4.4

1.0

1.2

1/1.3

0.4

0.7

2.8

.448

.650

.188

Travis Releford

32

7.0

2.7

1.4

0.2

0.7

1/3.7

0.3

0.0

0.9

.569

.531

.375

Quintrell Thomas

26

5.4

1.5

2.0

0.1

0.5

1/6.5

0.0

0.2

1.0

.440

.680

-

Tyrone Appleton

21

2.2

0.8

0.3

0.3

0.4

1/1.3

0.0

0.0

0.4

.538

.500

-

Conner Teahan

21

3.9

0.7

0.9

0.1

0.2

1/1.3

0.1

0.0

0.5

.182

1.000

.118

Matt Kleinmann

17

2.1

0.4

0.6

0.0

0.1

-

0.0

0.1

0.4

.600

.333

-

Chase Buford

11

1.2

0.4

0.5

0.0

0.1

-

0.0

0.0

0.2

.500

-

-

Brennan Bechard

11

1.5

0.1

0.1

0.2

0.0

-

0.0

0.0

0.4

.000

.500

-

Jordan Juenemann

5

1.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.2

-

0.0

0.0

0.2

.000

-

-

Team Averages

35

-

76.4

39.2

15.9

14.5

1.1/1

6.8

4.4

18.9

.478

.725

.371

2008– 2009

season totals
NAME

GM

MIN

FGM

FGA

FTM

FTA

3PM

3PA

PTS

OFF

DEF

TOT

AST

TO

STL

BLK

PF

Sherron Collins

35

1229

226

521

132

166

77

205

661

19

82

101

174

115

39

0

67

Cole Aldrich

35

1037

199

333

122

154

0

0

520

106

281

387

36

56

21

94

90

Tyshawn Taylor

35

928

120

237

76

105

24

66

340

11

65

76

104

83

38

8

81

Marcus Morris

35

646

94

190

64

106

6

15

258

66

100

166

38

57

36

12

88

Brady Morningstar

35

1063

78

186

23

29

50

119

229

29

75

104

92

47

43

5

60

Tyrel Reed

35

724

66

162

47

57

49

126

228

13

52

65

37

36

24

0

55

Markieff Morris

35

547

60

134

39

60

3

16

162

51

104

155

34

43

14

25

98

Mario Little

23

288

42

82

20

32

3

8

107

26

47

73

20

18

11

4

37

Travis Releford

32

225

33

58

17

32

3

8

86

20

25

45

6

22

8

0

29

Quintrell Thomas

26

140

11

25

17

25

0

0

39

18

33

51

2

13

1

4

25

Tyrone Appleton

21

47

7

13

3

6

0

0

17

2

5

7

7

9

1

1

9

Conner Teahan

21

81

4

22

5

5

2

17

15

5

13

18

3

4

3

0

10

Matt Kleinmann

17

36

3

5

1

3

0

0

7

4

7

11

0

2

0

2

6

Chase Buford

11

13

2

4

0

0

0

1

4

2

4

6

0

1

0

0

2

Brennan Bechard

11

16

0

6

1

2

0

4

1

0

1

1

2

0

0

0

4

Jordan Juenemann

5

5

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

Team

35

-

945

1979

567

782

217

585

2674

421

950

1371

555

508

239

155

662

KU Features

Big
Shoulders
Sherron Collins Eyes a
Second National Title
by Mike Miller

N

early every college basketball player enters his senior year with
a few goals. Maybe it’s to display more confidence on the floor.
Maybe it’s to improve his scoring or defense, which would result
in more victories. Some will start. Some even entertain thoughts
of conference crowns or a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
A lucky few can dream of winning a national title.
Sherron Collins is not most seniors.
The Kansas guard is one of the nation’s top players. A third-team AP AllAmerican last season, Collins enters his senior season as a player of the year
candidate. The 5'11" Chicago native also is cementing his place in the Jayhawk
record books. A solid season would place him among the school’s leaders in
multiple categories, including scoring, games played, and games won.
And he’s the unquestioned leader of a team that figures to be the among
the favorites to win the national title in April. The Jayhawks return every
single starter and nearly every role player from last season’s Big 12 regularseason champions, whose 27–9 season ended with a loss to eventual national
runner-up Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
“He’s one heck of a point guard,” said junior center Cole Aldrich, who
teams with Collins to form perhaps the nation’s best inside-outside combination. “I wouldn’t trade him for anybody, I know that.”
Still, good players are supposed to accrue conference titles and rack up stats.
Collins is different. He already has one NCAA title. He wants another.
“It pushes me a lot,” he told the Lawrence Journal-World. “To be able to
win one was special. If we’re able to win this one and I’m able to have a bigger
part in it, it’d be really special.”

and Analysis

KU Features and Analysis
be pretty good. I like our team’s makeup. We’ve got length,
we’ve got a little bulk, we’ve got size on the wing, and we’ve
got depth.”
But Collins is the key.
Last season, on a roster filled with freshmen and
sophomores, the Jayhawks relied on Collins do the bulk of the
scoring and playmaking while providing on-court leadership.
It was the natural play—and the only one, to start the year—
and it worked. Collins doubled his scoring to 18.9 points per
game and handed out five assists per contest.
“That’s one of the things that comes with the territory
of playing at Kansas,” Aldrich said. “We were young, but we
were still expected to win the conference and play well in the
Refuse to Lose
[NCAA] Tournament. And we love having those expectations.”
Okay, that’s laying it on a little thick. If this were a movie,
Still, when a team relies on one player to do the yeoman’s
we’d be hearing uplifting music, we’d see a basketball monwork, it has issues. Kansas struggled when Collins’s shot
tage with players hitting jumpers, setting picks, and driving
wasn’t falling. By the end of the season, that wasn’t the case
past defenders. Probably in slow motion. And, at the end, the
because the underclassmen improved.
crowd would rush the court and sweep Collins up and carry
This season, Collins is still expected to carry the load,
him off the court.
but it’ll be one of leadership and distribution, not scoring.
It could happen. Hoops pundits think it will happen.
And that’s a good thing.
April’s a long way off, but it’s a good sign that observers point
“If I average ten points and we win big, that’s what I
to Kansas as one of the teams to watch, and Collins as perhaps want,” he told the Journal-World.
the most important player.
Self is thinking the same thing.
“What it says is we’re definitely in the game,” Self said.
“I don’t see him taking as many shots. I see him focusing
“Last year, Carolina was the clear-cut favorite. I don’t know if
on making other guys better on the court. He won’t need to
we’re going to be that. On paper, you’d think we’re going to
be the guy who needs to take the shot as much,” he said. “I
don’t think defenses can be designed
just to slow him down.”
Not that he isn’t capable of doing
it again. Collins remains one of the
game’s toughest players to guard. He’s
stronger than other guards his size,
quicker than taller guards. And most
of all, as Aldrich said, Collins is just
downright “stubborn.” Perhaps there
is no greater skill to have than that
single-minded pursuit of a goal, like
getting to the basket.
“It’s a great quality for him,”
Aldrich said. “His determination is
what sets him apart.”
Not everyone has that determination. On a roster made up of players
from Kansas, Illinois, Minnesota,
Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Nevada,
among others, no one developed their
game the same way. Collins uses every
bit of his 205 pounds to bull his way
Sherron Collins will shoulder the responsibility of being the team’s
only four-year senior in the upcoming season.
into the lane for a driving lay-up or an

Another title wouldn’t just be great, it would be transformative. Few NCAA players get that chance.
More importantly, no Jayhawk player has ever won two
NCAA tournament titles. Not Danny Manning. Not Clyde
Lovellette. Heck, Wilt Chamberlain fell short in his only title
game appearance.
“He’s going to have a huge senior year,” said coach Bill
Self. “He has a chance to go down as the winningest player in
the history of the school. That takes a lot of effort, and he’s
going to have to work at it.”
This season, Collins is dreaming big. Bigger than most
players can ever dream.

Big Shoulders
Self said. “He’s got range, he can put it on the floor, he can
hit the pull-up. He’s just one of those natural scoring point
guards that you don’t see every day.”

Collins made two huge plays near the end of regulation
to help KU secure the 2008 title.
easy scoring opportunity for a teammate.
“To me, that’s just growing up in Chicago. Growing
up on those playgrounds,” Self said. “If he’s playing against
bigger guys, he’s not scared in the least. He thinks he can do
anything.”
Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel might agree. He was on the
wrong end last season when Collins was at his most determined. The Sooners (then ranked third overall), were without
Player of the Year Blake Griffin, but freshman guard Willie
Warren did his best to ensure they wouldn’t lose at home,
hitting shot after shot.
Collins wasn’t about to let Kansas lose.
“I don’t know how many possessions he had, but he
and Willie Warren were going at it. He’d come up from 25
and hit it. And we’d get a stop, then he’d come down again
and create a basket for someone else,” Aldrich said. “He can
dominate a game without even making a basket.”
Collins finished with 26 points, hit 5-8 three-pointers,
and dished three assists in an 87–78 Kansas victory that
played a huge role in winning a fifth straight regular-season
conference championship.
“When he is in his best condition, when’s he got everything right, he’s as hard to guard as any player in the country,”

Collins and Aldrich announced their intentions last April to
bypass the NBA and return to Kansas. Both were touted as
first-round picks—Aldrich possibly even a lottery selection—
but the chance at history was too great to pass up.
“We’ll have a good chance for being in the race for
another national championship,” Collins said. “We could go
down in history with two.”
If another title run is anything like the 2007–08 season,
Collins, Aldrich, and their teammates could put on quite a
show.
The Jayhawks were one of a handful of contenders
for the title two years ago. The previous season—a 33–5
campaign in which they won the Big 12 regular-season and
conference titles and lost to UCLA in the West Regional
final—set up Kansas as one of the most balanced and experienced teams in the country. And Collins was crucial.
Despite missing six games due to a stress fracture in
his foot (even when he returned, the foot never felt right),
Collins was fifth on the Jayhawks in scoring (9.3 ppg) and
started three games. He’d often play with Russell Robinson

Once a sparkplug off the KU bench,
Collins is now a vocal leader.
Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 77

Tournament, according to
David Mucci, director of
KU Memorial Unions.
Everyone hungered
for a championship. They
have that hunger again.
The only question will
be: Can they do all the
little things that make up
a championship season?
Because talent isn’t always
enough. Even good players can have bad games.
“A lot of those things
play into having a successful year,” Aldrich said.
“We had quite a few close
games and we were just
able to hunker down. You
have a lot of games that
you just don’t play well
Bill Self thinks his star point guard is becoming a maestro of the hardwood.
and you have to squeak
and Mario Chalmers in a three-guard lineup, or create more
one out. Over the last few years for me and the last three for
scoring chances off the bench.
Sherron, we’ve learned how to handle those.”
In 2007–08, a 37–3 season—with another pair of Big 12
If Kansas is going to be mentally strong enough to win,
titles—was capped with the Jayhawks’ first national title in 20
most of that burden rests with Collins.
years when they beat Memphis, 75–68, in overtime. Mario
But he’s up for it. When he badly wants something, there
Chalmers’ dramatic three-pointer at the end of regulation
isn’t much that can stop him. And if that’s true, there isn’t
drew most of the attention, but any KU fan can tell you
much that will prevent him from securing a place among the
Collins made an equally crucial play less than two minutes
all-time Kansas greats.
earlier. When he stole a Memphis in-bounds pass, dished to
And no matter what numbers he accumulates—he’s
a teammate, and got the ball right back for a back-breaking
approaching some big ones, including 2,000 career points
three-pointer, it cut Memphis’s lead to 60–56 and swung
and possibly 130 wins in four seasons—the title quest is what
things Kansas’s way.
matters to him.
“Coach told us at the timeout to go and get a trap and
“Sherron’s a guy who no matter who the player was, no
then go for a steal,” Collins said. “They didn’t cover me well
matter how big he was, how old he was, how strong or tough
enough, so I was able to get the ball. That was it, the momenhe was, or how good he was, Sherron would be the guy chaltum swing after that play. It changed the whole game.”
lenging him,” Self said. “He’s an easy guy to motivate because
As an added bonus, Collins set up Chalmers for the gameall you gotta do is say he can’t do something. He accepts all
tying three, too. It was just one of his six assists that night.
those challenges.
It’s hard to fully express how huge that season was to the
“He’s gotten a little better each year. But there’s another
team, the school, and the Kansas fan base.
step he can take in that last category to be a maestro, shall we
Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur, and Darnell
say. People are looking to him more than ever and he’s gotta
Jackson all play in the NBA. Russell Robinson and Sasha Kaun
be better than ever.” MSP
are also playing professionally. Self signed a monster extension
that summer. And fans bought more than $47 million worth of
Mike Miller is a 2000 graduate of the University of Kansas. He is the collicensed merchandise, mostly fueled by that title.
lege basketball editor at NBCSports.com and blogs about all things college
For comparison, roughly $1.5 million in licensed merhoops at Beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com. His goal is to one day fill out the
perfect NCAA Tournament bracket.
chandise was sold when the Jayhawks won the 1988 NCAA

78 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Photo: Gregor y Shamus/Getty Images

KU Features and Analysis

Diagramming KU’s
Signature Plays
On the court, the action moves
quickly. Here’s how they turn Xs
and Os into points.
by Bruno Chu
Editor’s note: If you watch enough Kansas basketball—and we
know you do—you’ll hear the occasional Xs and Os talk bandied
about in the broadcast booth. Just in case you don’t diagram plays
in your spare time, we found someone who does. Here, Bruno Chu
deconstructs some of KU’s signature offensive sets.

Kansas Jayhawks Early Offense
During the 2008–2009 season, the Kansas Jayhawks made one
important adjustment midseason that helped turn around what
initially looked like a hangover from their championship season. That adjustment was the emphasis on transition offense.
With a speedy guard in Sherron Collins and a mobile big man
in Cole Aldrich, the Jayhawks pushed the ball at every opportunity, which helped propel the team to a surprising Sweet 16
appearance in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Before we look at the Jayhawks early offense, we should
define a few terms first. In transition, there are three categories
of offense. The fast-break is generally referred to as a 2-on-1
or 1-on-0 generated after a steal, turnover, or rebound. The
secondary break is similar to the fast break except that generally
there are two defenders back, creating a 3-on-2, 4-on-2, or
5-on-2 situation. Early offense generally refers to transition offense off of made baskets, or any sideline or baseline inbounds
play, where all five defenders are already in their half court.
The advantages of early offense are obvious: Score before
the defense gets set. This is especially advantageous against
teams that play a zone defense and try to dictate the tempo of
the game by forcing the offense to use the entire shot clock.
Oftentimes, the best three-point shot opportunities come
in early offense, as seen this past year with the many threepointers that Collins was able to hit.
There are two key components to the Jayhawks’ early
offense. The first key is quick ball reversals. By overloading
one side temporarily, then reversing the ball, the offense is

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 79

KU Features and Analysis
able to take advantage of the momentary lapse as the defense
scrambles side-to-side to regain position. The second key
is to get the ball into the post. This is where Cole Aldrich
scored many points this past season, in transition or following
offensive rebounds within the early offense.

Diagram 1: Early Offense

5
3

A Closer Look

4
2
1
Following a defensive rebound, players streak down the court
in a pre-determined pattern of attack.

clears the low post and pops out to the high post. O4 tries to
post up his defender, and O1 looks for the post-entry into O4
(Diagram 4).
If none of those options work, the players fall back into
their base half-court offense, which Bill Self calls “Fist.” The
Jayhawks’ early offense this past season really took advantage
of the quick three-pointers from Collins and the early inside
position of Aldrich on the first ball reversal. By implementing
the early offense, the Jayhawks were able to get the ball into
Aldrich before any double teams could come and disrupt his
move to the basket.

The Kansas early offense takes advantage of speed and superior numbers to put points on the board quickly.
80 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

As shown in the diagrams, O2 or O3 rips the ball out of the
net and inbounds the ball to O1 to start the offense. The
guards O2 and O3 run opposite sidelines, O5 runs from rim
to rim, and O4 is the trailing forward and moves to the high
post. O1 should pick a side to start the offense in the half
court, O5 should move to the opposite block (Diagram 1).
Diagram O4 then pops out of the high post to the top
of the key to receive the pass from O1. O4 first looks for O5,
pinning his defender for the post-entry, if that’s not there, O4
reverses the ball to O2 on the opposite wing. O2 will look for
the post-entry into O5 who will look to make a post move to
score 1-on-1 against his defender (Diagram 2).
In the next iteration, O1 and O4 set a stagger screen for
O3 coming over the top, this happens simultaneously with O2
looking to pass to O5. If O2 is unable to make a post-entry to
O5, he reverses the ball to O3 coming off the stagger screen.
O3 can shoot the three-pointer if he’s initially open. O4 cuts
to the mid-post after the screen, O1 pops back out to the
wing after the screen (Diagram 3).
If O3 does not have the shot, then he completes the ball
reversal to O1 and cuts to the opposite corner. O2 comes
up to the top of the key to fill and act as the new safety. O5

Diagramming KU’s Signature Plays
Diagram 2: Early Offense

5
3
4
2
1
Perimeter players have two options for getting the ball into the post (O5).

Diagram 3: Early Offense

5
3

2
1
4
If O5 isn’t open in the post, screens allow the ball-handlers (O3 & O2)
to work around the perimeter.

Diagram 4: Early Offense

5
4

1

2
3

O5 clears the paint for O4 to come into the low block.
If this doesn’t work, the half-court offense is initiated.

Ball Screening Offense
The heart of every basketball team—its identity—is its halfcourt offense. The evolution of the base half-court offense
used by the Kansas Jayhawks parallels the evolution of Bill
Self’s own development as a head coach. For the majority of
Self’s career at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, and Illinois, he used pure
motion and his famous Hi-Low continuity offense. For more

on the Hi-Low offense, see the History and Tradition section
of the annual.
However, in each of the offensive systems, motion and
the high-low, Self felt his players were being unnecessarily
restricted. In motion, the worst player on the floor always
ended up with the ball and the open shot. Motion would
work well with Danny Manning shooting the ball, or Wayne
Simien in the post, who didn’t need to dribble for a post
move. The Hi-Low continuity offense was good, but Self
felt it was too much spot-to-spot—players moved from place
to place without really thinking about what the defense was
doing.
So in thinking of a new offense, the question Self kept
asking himself was, “What do you run behind what you run?”
In other words, when it’s the end of the game, what do you
run? The answer was either a 1-4 flat or a high ball-screen.
1-4 flat is good for the end of quarters or games, but not
suitable all game, mainly due to transition defense issues.
The ball is the hardest thing to defend, so why not design an
offense solely around ball-screens?
For the past couple of years, the Jayhawks have been running what Self calls “Fist” which is a ball-screening, motionbased offense with several options out of the base. “Fist” is
predicated on the following basic rules:
1. G
uards should fill any one of six spots on the floor:
corners, wings, and wing-tops.
2. A
ny time a forward catches the ball and passes it back out
to a guard, he chases the ball into a ball screen.
3. O
n any ball screen, the guard should try to drive to the
rim (baseline or middle).
4. O
n any baseline drive off a ball screen, the forward steps
out for a pick and pop.
5. O
n any middle drive off a ball screen, the forward rolls off
and sets a down screen for the strong side corner then slips
to the basket.
6. O
n any middle drive off a ball screen, the weak side forward should duck in once the ball crosses the lane.
7. O
n all ball reversals, the weak side forward should duck-in
attempting to seal his defender for an easy drop step dunk
move.
Permutations of these concepts are illustrated on the
next page.

Initial Setup
Guards should attempt to fill one of six spots on the floor. It’s
usually a 3-out 2-in with 2 guards and 1 forward on the strong
side, and 1 forward and 1 guard on the weak side. The initial
goal is to get the ball into the post (Diagram 5).

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 81

KU Features and Analysis
Diagram 5: Ball Screening Offense

popped out. O5 chases the ball into a ball screen (Rule 2), and
on every ball reversal the goal is to look for O4 in the post
ducking in (Rule 7). The duck in is key, because on the ball reversal, the post defender should be in help position. Therefore,
on the reversal, the forward should be able to seal the defender
with his backside and get a drop-step dunk (Diagram 8).

5

4

3

2

1
As always, the initial objective is to enter the ball into the post.

Diagram 6: Ball Screening Offense

1

4

5

Once the ball reaches the weak side on the ball reversal, O5
comes to set another ball screen. The screen can be a side
screen in this case but O5 can also flatten out. The guard
picks a side, baseline, or middle, again trying to get to the rim
(Rule 3). If the guard goes baseline, then play like Diagram
3. If the guard goes middle, then O5 rolls into a down screen
for O1 in the corner, then slips to the basket (Rule 5). O2
now has these options: pass to O5 slipping to the basket, pass
to O4 on the duck in after O2 crosses the lane (Rule 6), or
reverse it back out to O3 (Diagram 9).

Ball Reversal, Looking for the Duck in,
Redux
3

2

Ball Screen, Down Screen, Slip

Just like the previous ball reversal, O3 should immediately
look for O4 on the duck in. Because of the ball reversal, O4’s

Diagram 7: Ball Screening Offense
1

4

If the post players are stymied, the ball is kicked out
and the screening begins.

Bigs Always Chase into the Ball Screen

5

If the post cannot make a move, the ball is kicked back out
to the perimeter to start the ball-screening action. Rule 2,
anytime a post kicks the ball out, the forward must chase the
ball into a ball screen (Diagram 6).

2

The screen set by O5 allows O3 to drive, where he can shoot,
lob to O4, or kick out.

Driving Baseline
The core of the offense is based on the ball screen. O5 sets
a flat screen which allows O3 to choose which way to drive,
baseline or middle (Rule 3). If the guard comes off the ball
screen naked (turning the corner unguarded), then it forces
the help-side defender to either help stop the penetration or
allow O3 a free lane to the basket. If the help-side defender
helps, O4 should look for a lob pass for the dunk. O5 pops out
after setting the screen looking for the pick and pop (Rule 4)
(Diagram 7).

Ball Reversal, Looking for the Duck in
If O3 drives but can’t score, and O4 is no longer open, O3
reverses the ball to the weak side through O5 who has just

82 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

3

Diagram 8: Ball Screening Offense
1

4
3

2

5

As O5 steps out to the perimeter, his job is to chase the ball
into a screen while O4 roams the paint.

Diagramming KU’s Signature Plays
defender should be caught in help position from the side-toside action. O2 cuts to the opposite corner (Diagram 10).

Bigs Always Chase into the Ball Screen,
Redux
If O4 is unable to make a post move, the ball is kicked out
again and the offense repeats. The offense is not strictly a
continuity offense because the ball can be kicked out to any of
the guards, and the action is always the same, O4 chases the

Diagram 9: Ball Screening Offense
1

4

3

5
2
O5 sets a screen as the ball reverses, then moves toward the basket
again, ready to receive a pass or grab a board.

2
Interior defenders are sealed as the ball reverses again, and O2 cuts
to the corner, taking his defender with him.

Diagram 11: Ball Screening Offense

Gapping a 2-3 Zone

2

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

5

ball into a ball screen (Rule 2) and they repeat (Diagram 11).
The advantage of the offense is that it combines
principles of ball screening, drive and kick, and ball reversal.
According to Self, the main objective at all times is to get the
ball in the paint. Once the ball gets inside, it opens up the
offense to three-point opportunities on the perimeter.
The key to making the offense work is that forwards
must always chase the ball into the ball screen. This creates
separation between the screener and the defender, resulting in
a numbers advantage for the offense that forces the screener’s
defender to choose who to defend. The offense allows players
to react to the defense instead of over thinking the game.

4

3

1
As the offense resets, it’s O4’s job to chase the ball and set a screen.

Another fundamental part of offensive strategy and tactics
is playing against zone defenses. Against a talented big man
like Aldrich, the 2-3 zone works to limit offensive touches
and keep bodies in the paint to contest shots. Some teams
will scheme specific plays against a specific zone, or will run
a continuity offense to exploit space in the zone. Another
strategy is to align the offense to take advantage of the gaps in
the zone. Bill Self prefers to use the latter.
All zone defenses share two fundamental characteristics:
They are ball-oriented, that is to say that they focus on
the ball and not the man, and they have gaps between each

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 83

KU Features and Analysis

A Closer Look
The initial setup against the 2-3 zone is a 1-3-1 alignment
which has the effect of “gapping” the zone. The players
remain stationary (hence the play call) and the four players
(O1, O2, O3, and O5) play hot potato, moving the ball from
side-to-side. The key to the play is to utilize a great passing
big man in the middle who can really move the ball. This
player forces the two top defenders to stay close to the high
post and not allow the zone defense to extend out. According
to Self, Julian Wright was great in this role (Diagram 12).
Each time the ball is reversed, the wing should try to get
below the free throw line. In this way, the low defender of
the zone is forced to come up and play the wing and prevent
the open three-pointer. When this happens, the middle zone
defender has to decide whether to drop down to defend O4
in the short corner, or stay in the middle in case the ball goes
back to O5 in the high post (Diagram 13).

Former Jayhawk forward Julian Wright was an excellent
zone buster.

Diagram 12: Gapping a 2-3 Zone
4

1. U
se ball reversals, skip passes, and pass fakes to move the
defense and morph the zone.
2. G
et players into the zone gaps either through alignment,
penetration, or a combination of both.
3. P
lay underneath the zone where the defenders can’t see,
gaining better rebounding position.
The specific zone offense Self has used the past several
years is a system he calls “Stationary.” The offensive scheme
is to align his players inside the gaps of the zone and play “hot
potato” with the ball. Against a 2-3 zone, the Jayhawks will
align in an offensive 1-3-1. If the opponent plays 1-3-1 zone
defense, the Jayhawks will align in a box or 2-1-2.
The goal of the offense is to move the ball side-to-side
very quickly, with the post player moving behind the defense
by going from short corner to short corner (short corner referring to the area just outside each low-post block). Finally,
against the 2-3 zone, the Jayhawks like to move the wing
players up and down below the free throw line extended.
According to Self, this way they can force the four exterior
zone defenders to defend the three outside players, instead
of the defense with the numbers advantage of the top two
defenders of the zone defending the three outside players.

84 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

5

2

3

1
In this 1-3-1 alignment, stationary players pass the ball quickly
to open gaps in the zone.

Diagram 13: Gapping a 2-3 Zone
4

2

5

3

1
The threat of three-point shots from the wing forces interior defenders
to pick their poison in the post.

Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

player’s defensive area of responsibility. With that in mind,
there are some zone offense concepts which we will outline
first before looking at a specific example of the Kansas
Jayhawks zone offense:

Diagramming KU’s Signature Plays
Diagram 14: Gapping a 2-3 Zone

Kansas Jayhawks Inbounds Play

4
2
3

5

1
Passing lanes open up in the zone and big men shoot or kick out to a wing
if the zone collapses.

Diagram 15: Gapping a 2-3 Zone
4

5

3

2

1

An often overlooked aspect of basketball game strategy and
tactics is the inbounds play, both side out and baseline. A
sign of a well-prepared team is how well they execute their
inbounds plays and what percentage of their inbounds plays
result in points or turnovers, especially on baseline out of
bounds plays. There are two philosophies in designing and
running inbounds plays: those designed to get the ball in safely
and those designed to score. Bill Self subscribes to the former.
The two most common formations used for baseline out
of bounds plays are stack and box. The Jayhawks start most of
their inbounds plays out of a box formation, meaning the four
players form the corners of a box in the frontcourt aligned according to set markers on the floor. The most common alignment for a box is for the four players to occupy each corner of
the paint ,which Self calls “2 narrow.” However, the Jayhawks
usually prefer to line up wide on the side of the floor where
the ball will be inbounded, which Self calls “2 wide.”
The last consideration for the inbounds play is how the
defense is set up. Not only is the formation important—manto-man, zone, or a match-up zone—but the most important
factor to consider is how the defense is set up to defend the
inbounder. In a straight man-to-man, the inbounds defender
will be right up to the baseline. In a zone, the defender nearest the inbounder will most likely have his back to the baseline watching for cutters into the middle. In a match-up zone,
the defender nearest the inbounder will face the baseline but
will be “wearing the crown” or standing directly underneath
the basket to protect it.

Photo: G. Newman Lowrance/Stringer

As O5 moves toward the basket, O4 takes his place
in the middle of the 1-3-1.

If the ball goes into the short corner and the
middle zone defender is late, it should be an easy
layup for O4. As O4 catches the ball, O5 dives to
the opposite low post. If O4 is not able to score, O5
should be open on the basket cut. If O5 is not open,
O4 can pass it back out to O2 or skip it out to O1 or
O3 on the perimeter (Diagram 14).
Since O5 dove, O4 comes up and plays the highpost position. The players O1, O2, O3, and O4 now
play hot potato and O5 plays underneath the zone going from short corner to short corner and they repeat
this until the team scores (Diagram 15).
As mentioned in the section on early offense,
one of the best zone busters for the Jayhawks last
season was the use of transition to score before the
zone defense had a chance to get set. Beyond that,
the zone offense outlined above allows the Jayhawks
to force the defense to cover three offensive players
with four zone defenders.

Getting the ball inbounds safely against pressure is the beginning
of an offensive opportunity.
Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 85

KU Features and Analysis

A Closer Look

Diagram 18: Inbounds Play

The Jayhawks align in a 2 wide box formation, where O2 is
the best shooter on the team, O1 is the point guard, O4 and
O5 are screeners, and O3 is the inbounder. This inbounds
play works against all defensive schemes, man-to-man, zone,
and match-up zone. O4 and O5 set cross screens for O2 and
O1, respectively. O2 comes out to the three-point line, and
O1 goes high and wide, acting as the safety (Diagram 16).
The key to the next sequence is O4. After setting a fake
screen or bump on O2’s defender, O4 attempts to seal out whoever is occupying the middle. This works especially well against
a zone defense. After O5 screens for O1, he cuts straight down
the lane looking for a quick pass from O3 for the layup. If O5
is not open, O3 can hit O2 for the three-pointer or O1 as the
safety (Diagram 17).
If the ball is inbounded to either O2 or O1, the inbounder
immediately cuts to the top of the key opposite of the ball. The
ball is reversed until it reaches back into O3 (Diagram 18).
From here, the Jayhawks like to run a lob play. O5 will
clear the low post and come up to the high post begging for

3
2

5

4

1
If a guard receives the inbounds pass, the inbounder cuts to the top
of the key looking for the ball.

Diagram 19: Inbounds Play
2
5

4

Diagram 16: Inbounds Play
3
1
4

3

2
O5 clears the lane and O4 screens the perimeter defender as O2
goes backdoor for the lob.

5

1

In inbounds formation, bigs set screens for the guards,
who start inside the perimeter.

Diagram 17: Inbounds Play
3
2

4

the ball. O4 goes to set a back screen for O2 who uses the
screen and looks for the lob from O3 (Diagram 19).
If the lob is not there, then the Jayhawks fall back into
their base half court offense, the Fist. In this one simple
inbounds play the Jayhawks have at least three main options.
A forward or center like Cole Aldrich cutting down the lane,
a three-pointer for a shooter in the corner, or a lob pass.
Additionally, the play works against both man-to-man and
zone defenses, which allows the players to remember just the
one play with slight variations depending on how the defense
is aligned.
These four offensive sets are used frequently by Bill
Self’s Jayhawk teams. See if you can spot them during live
action this season. MSP

5
1
O5 moves toward the inbounder, who can pass to him or to
the two-guard as O4 seals.

86 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Bruno Chu lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where he is studying Education
at Simon Fraser University. Bruno has coached several teams around the
Vancouver area and is a freelance writer whose work has been featured in
the Sports Illustrated Tourney Blog. Read more of his coaching insights at
http://coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com.

An Embarrassment
of Riches
The 2009–10 Lineup by the Numbers
by Dan Hanner

I

n 2009, Bill Self was able to turn a young Jayhawks team
into a defensive juggernaut. This should come as no surprise to Kansas fans. Since taking over as Kansas head coach
in 2003, Self’s teams have been in the top 20 in defensive efficiency every year. But for the Jayhawks to fight for a national
title again in 2010, the offense needs to take a leap forward.
The last six college basketball national champions were all
in the top five in offensive efficiency and Kansas ranked only
26th in 2009.
Offensive and defensive efficiency stats measure points
per possession. Unlike points per game, efficiency removes
the impact of pace of play to provide a more direct measure
of offensive and defensive quality. These numbers are then
adjusted based on the quality of the opponent. (All figures
are from kenpom.com.)

Offensive vs. Defensive Efficiency
Team

Adjusted Offensive
Efficiency Rank

Adjusted Defensive
Efficiency Rank
16

UNC 2009

1

Kansas 2008

2

1

Florida 2007

1

12

Florida 2006

2

5

UNC 2005

1

5

UConn 2004

4

5

Kansas 2009

26

7

Third Scorer?
Most Jayhawk fans believe the key to improving the offense
is to develop a consistent third scorer to complement Cole
Aldrich and Sherron Collins. But it is certainly possible for a
championship-caliber offense to rely heavily on two players.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 87

KU Features and Analysis

Dynamic Duos in 2008-2009
Offensive Rank

Team

Top Scorers

% of Team Scoring

1

UNC

T. Hansbrough, W. Ellington

38

2

Pittsburgh

S. Young, D. Blair

44

3

UCLA

D. Collison, J. Shipp

37

4

AZ State

J. Pendergraph, J. Harden

50

5

Gonzaga

J. Heytvelt, M. Bouldin

36

6

Oklahoma

B. Griffin, W. Warren

47

7

Arizona

C. Budinger, J. Hill

49

8

Missouri

D. Carroll, L. Lyons

38

9

Marquette

J. McNeal, W. Matthews

49

10

Duke

G. Henderson, K. Singler

43

26

Kansas

S. Collins, C. Aldrich

44

While two stars can clearly carry a winning team, asking
Collins and Aldrich to make a big leap in production and
efficiency for a second straight year may not be realistic.
2009 was an incredible year of development for the two
Kansas stars.
Collins more than doubled his points per game from
his sophomore to his junior year. This was largely an artifact
of more minutes and more shots, but should still be viewed
as a substantial leap forward because Collins did not see a
significant drop in offensive efficiency despite his larger role
in the offense. (Collins’s shooting percentage fell slightly, but
his assist rate increased.)
Similarly, Aldrich went from a garbage-time scorer in
’08, to making 60% of his field goal attempts and dominating
in the paint last season. That shooting percentage, combined
with a relatively low turnover rate, made him one of the most
efficient post players in the country. By Ken Pomeroy’s measure of individual offensive efficiency, the only big men in major conferences to be more effective were Tyler Hansbrough
(UNC), DeJuan Blair (Pitt), and Jeff Pendergraph (Arizona
State), all three have since moved on to the NBA.
It seems unlikely that both can take giant strides forward
again. Collins often faces the opponent’s best perimeter
defender, and too often in 2009 he had to take the tough shot
when the offense stalled. Most likely Collins will only make
a major leap in efficiency if he can be more judicious in his
shot selection in 2010, while Cole Aldrich probably could
take more shots and continue to be an efficient scorer. But
with teams game planning around denying Aldrich the ball,
it could be hard to get him more shots without incurring
more turnovers as a team. While you should never count out
the possibility that Collins and Aldrich take another step and

88 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

improve from stars to superstars, for Kansas to become an
elite offense in 2010, a third scoring option does seem critical.

Does Kansas Need Xavier Henry?
The quickest way to achieve a more efficient offense is to add
talented players. Adding Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur
brought Kansas’s offensive efficiency ranking from 38th to 17th
in 2007. And any time you recruit at the elite level like Kansas,
there’s a strong possibility that one of the freshmen will score
efficiently, take a starting job, and never look back.
Many people view Xavier Henry as that type of player,
but whether he shows up on campus and fulfills his commitment or not, Kansas has no shortage of talented players who
could become breakout stars. Freshmen Elijah Johnson and
Thomas Robinson have the potential to be efficient scorers,
and 6'10" Arizona transfer Jeff Withey could join the team
at midseason and turn a lot of heads. Remember, even if
these players are not stars immediately they can still make a

Looking at the percentage of points scored by the top two
scorers on last season’s most efficient offenses, Kansas did
not have the balanced scoring of North Carolina or UCLA,
but the Jayhawks were no more dependent on their stars than
many other elite teams.

Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

An Embarrassment of Riches
since then-freshmen Brandon Rush, Mario
Chalmers, and Julian Wright contributed to the
team’s 22.2% rate in 2006. It is easy to blame the
turnovers on freshman inconsistency, and many
people expect Kansas to be better in 2010. But
the mandate for the returning sophomore class
seems clear: If individuals can make better decisions, the offense can reach an elite level, but
if individuals fail to take care of the ball again,
those players will play less.
With so much young talent, Brady
Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are also in the unusual position of having to defend their minutes
as they become upperclassmen. Both saw subIf you’re looking for guaranteed starters, you can’t go wrong with the law stantial minutes last season, and since their high
firm of Collins, Aldrich, and Taylor.
efficiency rates are the product of careful shot
selection, neither player is projected to improve
difference. Cole Aldrich waited until the NCAA tournament
substantially. Unless Morningstar and Reed are late bloomers
to have a breakout performance in 2008, proving that talent
like Darnell Jackson in 2008, the boost in offensive efficiency
on the bench—even inexperienced talent—is critical when
will probably come from one of the younger players.
trying to win a national title.
The sophomore class may also produce a breakout star.
The Unknown Lineup
But while Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Tyshawn Taylor,
One might assume that with every key player returning, the
and Travis Releford had their productive moments, each also
lineup will stay the same in 2009–2010, but Bill Self has shown
had significant problems with turnovers in 2009. Although
no hesitation to start freshJayhawks 2009-2010 Projected
touches are not an official stat, all four are estimated to have
men when appropriate.
Starting Lineup
turned the ball over in more than 20% of their possessions in
Elite recruit Xavier
Player
Height
Class
2009. When compared to the highly-efficient Cole Aldrich,
Henry will likely start.
Cole Aldrich
6'11"
Junior
Marcus Morris
6'8"
Sophomore
it is clear that they have some work to do to improve their
Aldrich and Collins return
Xavier Henry
6'6"
Freshman
effective FG% and turnover rates.
and are obviously the heart
Tyshawn Taylor
6'3"
Sophomore
The statistic eFG% is
of the team. Because post
Sophomore Class vs. Aldrich
Sherron Collins
5'11"
Senior
the
same
as
FG%
except
players often take time
Player
eFG% Turnover Rate
that it weights made
to develop, Marcus Morris will probably remain a starter in
Tyshawn Taylor 55.7%
25.6%
Marcus Morris 51.1%
21.7%
three-point shots as 1.5
2009–10, but how much playing time he receives will depend
Markieff Morris 45.9%
23.2%
(vs. 1 for two-pointers).
on the quality of his play. Based on his high assist rate and
Travis Releford 59.5%
26.6%
So, in the shooting perability to drive and either make two-point shots or draw
Cole Aldrich
59.8%
14.3%
centage stat, while a made
the foul, I project Tyshawn Taylor as the fifth starter. Brady
two-pointer counts for one attempt and one make, a threeMorningstar should be the first player off the bench.
pointer counts for one attempt and 1.5 makes. Turnover rate
Bill Self knows that in order for his offense to reach a
approximates the number of possessions used by the player
championship level, he is going to need some of the younger
and divides the number of turnovers by the number of possesplayers to step up. The majority of the early season will be
sions. Figures are again from kenpom.com.
dedicated to evaluating the newcomers and giving the sophoKansas as a team turned the ball over on 21.5% of its
more class time to show how they improved in the offseason.
possessions in 2009. Bill Self’s teams are always going to have
And through fewer turnovers or a new breakout star, Kansas
a slightly higher turnover rate than the average team because
figures to have an elite offense again in 2009–10. MSP
the high-low offense emphasizes getting the ball into the
post instead of settling for jump shots. But Kansas cannot put
After spending over a decade claiming that conference tournaments are as
an elite offense on the floor if the team continues to be so
fun as the NCAAs, Dan Hanner has been writing about college basketball at
turnover-prone.
Yet Another Basketball Blog since 2007. An Illinois grad, he knows whereof
he speaks when it comes to Bill Self.
Last season saw the worst turnover percentage for Kansas

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 89

Jayhawks
in the Pros
L

ike any elite basketball program, the University of Kansas prides itself on
the athletes who have gone into the professional ranks after playing at KU.
The players listed on this page all played at the top level of the sport, and some
went on to become NBA champions, MVPs, and have extended pro careers that
spanned two decades.

The Best
of the Rest
How Kansas Compares to
Some Other Contenders for
NCAA Tournament Glory
by Jacob E. Osterhout

F

or diehard college basketball fans, understanding the
makeup of their favorite teams is of the utmost importance. Similarly significant, however, is understanding the
strengths and weaknesses of the competition. The Jayhawks
have a very good shot at making the Final Four in 2010. But
which teams will be there with them?
Just as Kansas fans are convinced that their team has
what it takes to win a national championship, fans of many
other teams around the country harbor the same hopes. Let’s
evaluate a few of these possible contenders and see how they
stack up to the Jayhawks keeping in mind the seven criteria
laid out in the article “Seven Keys to Reaching the Final
Four”: point guard play; inside presence; three-point shooting; depth; defense; coaching; and cohesiveness.

Kentucky
2008–2009 Record: 22–14 (SEC: 8–8)
Other than Kansas, no school added as much talent to its
roster this offseason as Kentucky did. To the glee of Wildcat
partisans, Kentucky prematurely ended the Billy Gillispie
experiment, luring John Calipari to Lexington. With Coach
Cal came a flood of skilled recruits, headlined by point guard
John Wall, supposedly the best athlete in his recruiting class.
If the 6'4" guard is a quarter of what he is cracked up to be,
then Kentucky should have no problem at the point. But having a freshman as a team’s floor general, even a highly touted
freshman, rarely leads to a national title. (The most recent
example being Derrick Rose’s inability to lead his team past a
more experienced Kansas squad in the 2008 final.)
Wall won’t be the lone talented freshman on the perimeter either. Eric Bledsoe, another point guard with massive

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 91

KU Features and Analysis
stalwart Danny Green, sharpshooter Wayne Ellington, and the
incomparable Tyler Hansbrough. But former KU coach Roy
Williams has done his usual masterful job of restocking the
team with proven talent and massive potential.
The biggest question mark entering the season is at
the point guard position. As great as the Tar Heels were last
season, their offense depended more on Ty Lawson than any
other player on the team. With Lawson now in the NBA,
sophomore Larry Drew II will be called upon to run the
show. That is a heavy responsibility for a sophomore who sat
out the last two months of the 2008–09 season after being
mysteriously suspended by coach Williams.
As usual, UNC will be strong in the post in 2009–10.
After years of playing in the shadow of Hansbrough, senior
big man Deon Thompson has finally earned his role as team
leader. A scorer by nature, Thompson should have no problem improving upon the 10.6 points per game he scored last
season. Joining him inside is a talented group of lanky sophomores. Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller showed flashes of brilliance
last season playing an important supporting role in the Tar
Heels’ title run. This year they’ll be called on in the clutch
more often, and should have the experience and confidence to
carry a team without a proven on-court leader.
Then there is the arrival of brothers David and Travis
Wear. At 6'10" the twins have the ability to be the next great
twin towers of college basketball. (Think about the Lopez
brothers at Stanford.) The Wears already have the post moves
to make an instant impact and the agility to take their defenders off the dribble. Even more importantly, they will be going
up against Davis, Zeller, and Thompson in practice, which
should provide a steep learning curve.

North Carolina
2008–2009 Record: 34–4 (ACC: 13–3)
Few programs can lose four of their five starters during
the offseason and still be considered a national title contender, but North Carolina has replaced old talent with
new talent and has a good shot of repeating as national
champions. Gone are point guard Ty Lawson, defensive

92 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

North Carolina’s Deon Thompson will get his chance to step
out of Tyler Hansbrough’s shadow this season.

expectations, will share time with Wall and provide a healthy
competition that should push both players. With the ball in
Wall’s and Bledsoe’s hands, the Wildcats will have the ability
to penetrate on any defense in the country.
Which is why Kentucky’s success might depend on
its ability to hit the open shot. Enter another freshman,
Jon Hood, a 6'6" shooting guard who was Kentucky’s “Mr.
Basketball” last season. Hood will have the opportunity to
make an immediate impact from the perimeter if his shots fall.
But if his shots aren’t falling, Kentucky won’t have a whole
lot of other shooters to bring off the bench. There is the
possibility that 6'7" swingman Darnell Dodson, a JuCo star
last season, will regain the form that once made him a prized
recruit at Pittsburgh.
Really, the only bad news for Kentucky fans this offseason was Jodie Meeks’s decision to be a second-round pick in
the NBA Draft rather than return to college for a glorious
senior season. Meeks’s ability to shoot from downtown would
have taken the pressure off of Hood.
What the Wildcats lack in experience on the perimeter,
they make up for in the paint. Patrick Patterson resisted the
lure of the NBA and his return to Lexington gives Kentucky
a solid, if not dominant, inside presence. Perry Stevenson,
Ramon Harris, and Darius Miller should all improve on
last year’s middling numbers. Add in star-studded recruits
DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton and Kentucky has the
ability and depth to bang with any team in the country.
Ultimately, the biggest challenge for the Wildcats
might be mental. Can a team that failed to make the NCAA
Tournament last season suddenly have a shot at winning the
whole thing? Can Coach Calipari finally break through his
glass ceiling and capture a national championship?
One thing is for sure, there have been enough
off-season changes to make Kentucky fans forget about
last season.
Kansas vs. Kentucky: In terms of incoming talent,
Kansas and Kentucky are in a league of their own.
The similarities don’t stop there: Both teams will be
well-coached, deep in the paint, and able to penetrate
at will. If either has a perceived weakness, it would be
their ability to drain threes, but this is less of a fault
and more of an unknown.

The Best of the Rest
As if the Tar Heels didn’t have enough talent inside, Roy
Williams also brought in the top power forward prospect in
the country, 6'10" John Henson, who has the wingspan of a
pterodactyl and the footwork of a ballet dancer. Henson will
have to add some muscle to his skinny frame if he wants to
make an immediate impact, but his court vision and passing
abilities more than make up for his lack of bulk.
While Marcus Ginyard’s injury might have cost him last
season, the fact that the shooting guard redshirted is a huge
benefit to UNC’s relatively inexperienced squad. Ginyard
will be the Tar Heels’ shutdown defender on the perimeter,
covering opposing teams’ best penetrator. But Ginyard’s most
valuable contribution might be his steady and calming influence. After all, the rest of North Carolina’s guards have very
little experience.
If Drew can’t perform adequately, highly-touted recruit
Dexter Strickland will have to put his scoring tendencies aside
and become more of a distributor. Strickland will be joined on
the perimeter by the lithe freshmen Leslie McDonald, whose
long frame could make him a dangerous defender.
What North Carolina failed to replace this offseason is
the three-point shooting of Ellington, which was nicely complemented by Green’s and Lawson’s own occasional brilliance
behind the arc. The freshman guards will have to quickly find
their range if the Tar Heels are going to legitimately threaten
opponents, both in the paint and from downtown.
Kansas vs. UNC: North Carolina is as strong, if not stronger,
in the paint than any team in the country. Roy Williams will
have his choice of six big men, which even Kansas cannot
compete with. But the Tar Heels are as shaky on the perimeter as they are deep inside. They lack a proven point guard
and an accurate three-point threat, which will hurt their
chances of a deep NCAA Tournament run if their freshmen
phenoms don’t develop as planned.

Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Michigan State
2008–2009 Record: 31–7 (Big Ten: 15–3)
Michigan State surprised a lot of college basketball fans last
season, rolling through the NCAA Tournament all the way to
the finals, where they were crushed by North Carolina. But
this season, the Spartans won’t be surprising many people.
Coach Tom Izzo lost seniors Goran Suton and Travis
Walton, both steady presences on last season’s team, but all of
his other underclassmen stuck around, which gives Michigan
State a deep and experienced squad that has “the best starting
five in college hoops,” according to Luke Winn at Sports
Illustrated.
As Kansas fans intimately understand from the Jayhawks’
67–62 loss to the Spartans in last season’s Sweet 16 (and the
75–62 January blowout in East Lansing), 2009 Big Ten Player

Michigan State had KU’s number in 2008–09.
of the Year Kalin Lucas is an incredibly dangerous point
guard, capable of scoring at will on even the most tenacious of
defenders (just ask Sherron Collins, who shut down Lucas for
all but the final minute of last season’s tournament loss).
Joining Lucas on the perimeter will be Chris Allen and
Durrell Summers. Neither will be able to replace Walton’s
defensive presence on the wing, but offensively few teams will
have the right pieces to stop this dynamic trio. Allen is lights
out from downtown. Summers can penetrate the lane and finish even after contact. Plus, the Spartans can boast a backup
point guard who would start on almost any other team in the
country. Korie Lucious showed flashes of brilliance towards
the end of last season and memorably helped MSU pull off a
tough victory over Connecticut in the Final Four.
The Spartans are just as strong on the blocks, with
scorer Raymar Morgan and rebounding machine Delvon Roe
down low. Sophomore Draymond Green should continue to
improve as well, and will provide necessary depth inside. If
there is one thing coach Izzo is missing, it’s a shot-blocking
center. Seven-foot junior Tom Herzog could fill this need, but
he’ll have to bulk up and improve his footwork if he wants to
see playing time.
Even with all the returning talent, Coach Izzo still managed to bolster his team with highly-prized recruit Derrick

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 93

KU Features and Analysis
Nix, Michigan’s Mr. Basketball. At 6'9" and a robust 285
pounds, Nix should be able to contribute immediately, at
least physically, to Michigan State’s quest to return to the
championship game.
Kansas vs. Michigan State: Neither team lost much talent
from last season, yet it seems that Kansas added many more
recruits, which could be good or bad. Izzo will not have
to manage such a large rotation, but he’ll be limited inside
without a true center and one injury could severely hamper
his team’s frontcourt scoring capabilities. There would be
very little more exciting than a postseason rematch of the
Michigan State-Kansas game from last year’s Sweet 16. And,
let’s not forget that North Carolina won a national championship last season after getting embarrassed in the finals the year
before. Michigan State can easily mimic that fate.

More Final Four Potential
Texas

Purdue
2008–2009 Record: 27–10 (Big Ten: 11–7)
The Boilermakers return seven of their eight top scorers and
all five starters, but they haven’t been to the Final Four since
1980 and one has to wonder if coach Matt Painter can instill
the level of confidence his team needs to make a late season
run. E’Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson
should anchor this well-rounded team, but Purdue lacks a
true three-point threat and a true center, which will make it
difficult to keep pace with Kansas.

Connecticut
2008–2009 Record: 31–5 (Big East: 15–3)
As impressive as point guard Kemba Walker was as a freshman, one can only wonder how good he’ll be as a sophomore.
Walker will be joined in the Huskies backcourt by Jerome
Dyson, a shooting guard who proved his scoring abilities last
season before suffering a torn lateral meniscus in his right
knee. Stanley Robinson should take care of the frontcourt
scoring, but with the departure of center Hasheem Thabeet

94 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Kemba Walker went into high gear in the 2009
postseason, but can he lead UConn back to the same
heights as a sophomore?
he’ll need help on the boards. Seven-footers Charles
Okwandu and Jonathan Mandeldove should provide some
depth inside, as should incoming recruit Alex Oriakhi, assuming he receives clearance from the NCAA. While Connecticut
certainly has the potential to reach the Final Four, the
Huskies lack the inside presence to truly take on teams like
Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Michigan State.

Villanova
2008–2009 Record: 30–8 (Big East 13–5)
Under coach Jay Wright, Villanova will never have any
trouble defensively, but the Wildcats must find a way to
replace power forward Dante Cunningham, along with Shane
Clark and Dwayne Anderson. Scottie Reynolds is back, which
gives Villanova a premier point guard, and the Wildcats have
a star-studded recruiting class highlighted by Dominic Cheek,
a 6'6" swingman with the ability to score in droves. With
their defensive intensity and stellar guard play, Villanova
should be able to hang with any team in the country, including Kansas, but their lack of depth and size in the frontcourt
will ultimately do the Wildcats in. MSP
Jacob E. Osterhout is a features reporter for the New York Daily News and
a regular contributor to SI.com and CBS College Sports.

Photo: Gregor y Shamus/Getty Images

2008–2009 Record: 23–12 (Big 12: 9–7)
The Longhorns return four of their five starters from last season’s team, but they lost their premier shooter, A.J. Abrams,
which will allow opposing teams to concentrate more on
stopping penetration and could stifle Texas’s offensive output.
Last season, Rick Barnes’s squad also struggled without the
leadership of a true point guard, but Florida transfer Jai Lucas
should solve that issue this year. Still, even with a strong
inside presence and an athletic lineup, the Longhorns won’t
have the depth or range to hang with the Jayhawks.

Renaissance
Manning
Danny Manning has a bright future
on the bench… if he wants it.
by Ken Davis

W

hen assistant coach Danny Manning starts scribbling
in that folder he brings along with him to every Kansas
basketball game, center Cole Aldrich rarely knows the precise
nature of the note being recorded. Aldrich does know it won’t
take long for him to find out.
Word could come during the next timeout. Or Manning
might wait until the next practice. One way or another,
Aldrich is going to receive another lesson.
“He writes all sorts of stuff in his little folder,” Aldrich
said. “He might write down I missed a rebound, or somebody
got blocked out. You’ll find out about it, probably in practice
the next day. But we will be working on something that he
wrote down.”
Aldrich isn’t complaining. He realizes one of the benefits
of playing a frontcourt position at Kansas these days is the
opportunity to be coached by the former All-American and

top pick in the NBA Draft, an assistant who just happens to
be the all-time scoring and rebounding leader at the same
school. In the quest to explain how Aldrich became the most
improved player in the nation last season, anyone would be
well advised to include the private instructions of Manning.
“When I was a freshman, I was a McDonald’s AllAmerican and I had some accolades and what not, but it’s a
tough transition [to college],” Aldrich said. “I really didn’t
understand that. I think with Coach Manning on our staff, it
really helped me to improve my game a lot, but also, with him
at practice and off the court, to understand it more.
“I couldn’t walk and chew gum when I first got on campus. Now I’m doing both.”
Danny Manning has a new mission. Once recognized
as the top college basketball player in the nation as he led
the Jayhawks to the 1988 NCAA national championship,

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 95

Before he officially became an assistant to Bill Self, Danny
Manning mentored post players like Julian Wright.
Manning now works with KU’s big men and is turning heads
with the results he has achieved with players such as Darrell
Arthur, Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson, and Aldrich.
NBA executives, looking ahead to the 2010 draft, are
already commenting on Aldrich’s sound fundamentals. If
he leaves Kansas after his junior season as expected, Aldrich
might be one of the first three players drafted.
“I always thought he’d be an excellent teacher,” Kansas
coach Bill Self said of Manning, a two-time NBA All-Star.
“But he hadn’t had a chance to do what he’s enjoying so
much, and that’s helping guys get better. I think Danny has
been unbelievable with our guys. And I think Cole’s been the
biggest recipient because he’s had the most time with him.”
Self first approached the Kansas legend about joining his
staff when he heard Manning planed to retire from the NBA
after the 2002–03 season. The job description of a full-time
assistant didn’t appeal to Manning because his initial goal
was to spend more time with his wife and two children. So
Self created an administrative position and hired Manning as
director of student-athlete development. Manning was promoted to assistant coach in March 2007, after Tim Jankovich
left the Jayhawks to become head coach at Illinois State.
Now he prepares game plans and recruits. In two seasons, including the national championship of 2008, Manning
has demonstrated the ability to handle every aspect of the
assistant coaching position.

96 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Fran Fraschilla, the former college coach turned broadcast analyst for ESPN, calls the opportunity to come back to
Lawrence and join Self’s staff “a great fit” for Manning.
“He’s young enough that most of the players still know
of his exploits, but he’s old enough to have the wisdom of experience that he can pass on to a lot of these young players,”
Fraschilla said. “Now that I’ve been around him, I don’t look
at him as Danny Manning, arguably one of the 50 greatest
players in college basketball history, I look at him as a guy
that has a great coaching future.
“He’s a guy who is a grinder, who’s in the office long hours,
putting time in. There are very few people who have had that
much success in basketball as a player who would be willing to
make that career move. But Danny has done it flawlessly.”
Fraschilla also points out that Manning has done it with
“a quiet gracefulness and humbleness” that he calls refreshing. But that’s really just true to form for Manning, a private
person who has never sought the spotlight.
Manning, 43, has never been comfortable with the
assertions that he “single-handedly” led Kansas to the 1988
national championship. Now, as a coach, he’d rather see
credit go to the players, even though it is obvious he has been
a part of the Jayhawks’ recent success. It isn’t unusual for him

Knee injuries curtailed Manning’s NBA career, but
learning how to play through them may have made him a
better coach.

Renaissance Manning
to turn down interview requests, as he did for this article. But
after winning NCAA titles as a player and a coach, he holds a
special place in the hearts of Kansas fans.
“I felt blessed before we won the [2008] championship,”
Manning said in an interview for The University of Kansas
Basketball Vault, The History of the Jayhawks. “I felt blessed
before we won it in 1988. The bigger picture is life. I’m very
fortunate to have a job at a place that means a lot to me and
so many other people.”
Manning, who was inducted into the Collegiate
Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, MO in November
2008, has a unique perspective on his new career.
“I’m very happy to [be coaching],” he said. “I enjoy sharing and mentoring. A lot of people say coaching is teaching.
But to me it’s all about sharing your experiences. It’s been a lot
of fun, from the standpoint of developing my individual coaching style. For me, it’s a little different because it’s the school I
attended. There’s a lot of pride that engulfs you again because
you reflect back on your playing days at that university.”
Manning’s ability to mentor really started to show
through during the 2007–08 season as Kaun and Jackson
improved dramatically and KU’s four-man frontcourt rotation
struck a balance with a deep and talented backcourt.
“The things he showed me, the things he told, they all
worked,” said Jackson, who averaged 11.2 points, led the team
with a 6.7 rebounding average, and became a second-round
NBA pick. “It was like he was putting his identity into all of us.”
Despite the knee injuries that essentially derailed his
NBA career, Manning can still get on the floor and show the
Kansas players the footwork and technique of a champion.
Aldrich jokes that none of the current big men want to guard
Manning in a half-court practice situation. Manning can make
each and every one of them look silly.
“With Coach Manning, you just want to pick his brain
apart because he knows so much,” Aldrich said. “Every time
I go on the court I get excited because I usually learn something new every day.”
Aldrich, Fraschilla, and Self all agree that those knee
injuries actually made the transition from player to coach
easier for Manning.
“This guy learned all the shortcuts,” Self said. “This guy
learned how important technique was. I think he’s a much better passer-down of knowledge because he’s gone through some
tough times himself. So many great players, they say, have a
hard time teaching because they can’t teach it the way they did
it because other people aren’t gifted enough to do it that way.”
In addition to his tremendous mind for the game,
Manning brings an air of calmness to the bench that the players appreciate and respect. Some wonder if his personality, and
his reluctance with the media, might work against him if he

After leading KU to the 1988 title, Manning became the
#1 overall draft pick of the Clippers.
wants to become a head coach, or an NBA coach, one day.
But none of that is on Manning’s agenda right now. He’s
at home in Lawrence, his daughter just started college in
Florida, his son is still in high school, and Manning seems
content with his role.
“I don’t know what the ultimate goal is,” Manning said
during a 2008 interview. “Is this my last stop in my coaching
career or my basketball profession? Absolutely not. I just
don’t know [what’s ahead].”
Self thinks that is still Manning’s position as the Jayhawks
head into another season. The bottom line is that Manning
is in the infancy of his coaching career. And he is making the
most of a great situation.
“He will be a star, if he wants to be a star, in coaching,”
Fraschilla said. “If he wants to just be an assistant coach
at Kansas the next ten years, I have no doubt he’ll do that
flawlessly. But he if he eventually decides that there are other
things in his coaching career he wants, he’s definitely capable
of accomplishing those things.” MSP

Ken Davis is the author of The University of Kansas Basketball Vault, The
History of the Jayhawks, published by Whitman Publishing in December
2008. Davis, a freelance writer based in Connecticut, is the college basketball expert for NBCSports.com and writes the national college basketball
column for AthlonSports.com.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 97

KU Features and Analysis

MANNING’S PERFORMANCE
If there weren’t so many other worthy contenders for the title, it would be tempting to call Danny Manning
“Mr. Jayhawk Basketball.” He is the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, an honor that places
him among the top ten scorers in NCAA histor y. He was a first-team All-America choice in 1987 and 1988,
and the consensus Player of the Year in ’88 as well. Manning led Kansas to victor y over Oklahoma for the
1988 national title, and was the #1 overall NBA draft pick that year, going to the Los Angeles Clippers. Persistent knee injuries limited his effectiveness in the pros, but he was still chosen as an All-Star in 1993 and
1994. He played for seven different franchises in a 15-year NBA career.
After retiring from playing in 2003, Manning returned to the Kansas basketball program as director of studentathlete development and was named an official assistant coach in 2007. His work with the Kansas big men
contributed greatly to the team’s 2008 championship run.

Danny Manning Season-by-Season at Kansas
Season

G

GS

Avg Min

Pts

Avg Pts

Reb

Avg Rebs

Ast

FG

FGA

FG%

FT

FTA

FT%

84-85

34

33

32.9

496

14.6

258

7.6

108

209

369

56.6

78

102

76.5

85-86

39

39

32.2

653

16.7

245

6.3

93

279

465

60.0

95

127

74.8

86-87

36

36

34.7

860

23.9

342

9.5

64

347

562

61.7

165

226

73.0

87-88

38

38

35.2

942

24.8

342

9.0

77

381

653

58.3

171

233

73.4

TOTALS

147

146

33.8

2951

20.0

1187

8.1

342

1216

2049

59.2

509

688

74.4

Stats Courtesy of RockChalk.com

Danny Manning Season-by-Season in the NBA
Season

Age

Tm

G

GS

Minutes

FGM

FGA

FG%

FTM

FTA

FT%

REB

AST

STL

BLK

PTS

Avg
Pts

1988-89

22

LAC

26

18

950

177

358

49.4

79

103

76.7

171

81

44

25

434

16.7

1989-90

23

LAC

71

42

2269

440

826

53.3

274

370

74.1

422

187

91

39

1154

16.3

1990-91

24

LAC

73

47

2197

470

905

51.9

219

306

71.6

426

196

117

62

1159

15.9

1991-92

25

LAC

82

82

2904

650

1199

54.2

279

385

72.5

564

285

135

122

1579

19.3

1992-93

26

LAC

79

77

2761

702

1379

50.9

388

484

80.2

520

207

108

101

1800

22.8

1993-94

27

LAC

42

41

1595

409

829

49.3

174

258

67.4

296

176

53

57

994

23.7

1993-94

27

ATL

26

25

925

177

372

47.6

54

83

65.1

169

85

46

25

409

15.7

1994-95

28

PHO

46

19

1510

340

622

54.7

136

202

67.3

276

154

41

57

822

17.9

1995-96

29

PHO

33

4

816

178

388

45.9

82

109

75.2

143

65

38

24

441

13.4

1996-97

30

PHO

77

17

2134

426

795

53.6

181

251

72.1

469

173

81

74

1040

13.5

1997-98

31

PHO

70

11

1794

390

756

51.6

167

226

73.9

392

139

71

46

947

13.5

1998-99

32

PHO

50

5

1184

187

386

48.4

78

112

69.6

219

113

36

38

453

9.1

1999-00

33

MIL

72

0

1217

149

339

44.0

34

52

65.4

208

73

62

29

333

4.6

2000-01

34

UTA

82

0

1305

247

500

49.4

102

140

72.9

214

92

47

29

603

7.4

2001-02

35

DAL

41

10

552

71

149

47.7

22

33

66.7

108

30

21

21

165

4.0

2002-03

36

DET

13

0

89

13

32

40.6

5

6

83.3

18

7

9

3

34

2.6

883

398

24202

5026

9835

51.1

2274

3120

72.9

4615

2063

1000

752

12367

14.0

Career
Courtesy BasketballReference.com

98 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

The Jayhawk
Go-Giver
A Father and Son Remember
Bob Frederick
By Ken and Joe Davis

B

ill Hancock wasn’t expecting a postcard from his longtime friend when he walked to his mailbox the morning
of June 13. But there it was. The man who had inspired
Hancock to ride his bicycle coast to coast a few years earlier
now was peddling another idea. This time it was a ride across
the Flint Hills.
The scenery in the Flint Hills is always fabulous, it said.
The sender commented he would keep going as long as he
could pedal. And then it was signed, from Bob Frederick.
The night before that postcard arrived, Frederick died
from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident in Lawrence.
Frederick, 69, was the athletic director at Kansas in 1988
when coach Larry Brown and the Jayhawks won the NCAA
championship in men’s basketball. And he was the man who
hired Roy Williams, an unknown assistant at North Carolina,
to replace Brown later that year. But those moments did not

define him. Frederick was something different to everyone
in his life—a professor, a mentor, a coach, an administrator, a
husband, a father, a friend, a competitive bike rider, a spokesman for helmet safety (yes, he was wearing a helmet)—and a
truly beloved citizen of Lawrence.
And so it is that the timing of that postcard seems symbolic of the magic, personal touch he applied to everything in
his life.
“As you can imagine, it was a shock,” Hancock, administrator of the Bowl Championship Series, said of the postcard’s
arrival. “Mystical. Amazing. We’re all going to miss him very
much.”
It’s too bad there is no instrument to gauge the number
of people Frederick touched. The total would have been
staggering. Williams, a Hall of Famer who has gone on to
win two national championships at North Carolina, has said

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 99

KU Features and Analysis

Bob Frederick was a Jayhawk through and through.
repeatedly there’s no way to know what might have happened
with his career if Frederick hadn’t hired him. “Bob had a
belief and gave me a chance,” Williams said. Some may say
that hire defines Frederick’s legacy, but he once told me it was
nothing more than luck.
Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon, who played at Kansas
and was an assistant coach for the Jayhawks, asked Frederick
for advice as a senior, when he was thinking about a career in
coaching. “He went out of his way and gathered information
for me,” Turgeon said. “He really went out of his way.” That
was a Frederick trademark.
Frederick became a friend of the national media when he
served as chairman of the NCAA men’s basketball committee.
But even after his days as athletic director, he made himself
available to reporters and shared his stories about the history
of the KU program. He was a tremendous source for my book
on the history of Kansas basketball.
Bob and I exchanged e-mail messages in late May, after
the death of Sam Miranda. Frederick and Miranda were assistants on the staff of basketball coach Ted Owens and Miranda
was best man when Bob and Margey Frederick married 37
years ago. Bob thanked me for my note. “Have a good summer,” was the last thing he wrote.
Just 13 days later, summer turned very sad. It’s hard to
imagine Lawrence without Bob Frederick. He will continue

100 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Bob Frederick was, and always will be, a legend on the KU
campus. Not because he was an excellent athletic director, a
leader of several NCAA committees, a coach, or even a wonderful teacher. He is a legend because he radiated kindness.
In February 2008, Frederick wrote an article for Sports
Management Resources that was entitled “Fewer ‘Go-Givers’
and More ‘Go-Getters’”. The article was about a man named
James “Easter” Heathman, a farmer in Kansas who discovered
the wreckage of Knute Rockne’s TWA airplane. He refers to a
quote from Charles O’Donnell in the eulogy for Rockne, the
legendary Notre Dame football coach.
“In an age that has stamped itself as the era of ‘go-getter,’
he was a ‘go-giver,’ giving himself, spreading himself like
water, not for himself, but for others.”
Frederick was a go-giver. Anyone who knew him would
tell you that Frederick put others before himself. In these
days, when athletic departments are more concerned about
the bottom line, it is refreshing to consider Frederick’s philosophy. Student athletes always came first for Dr. Bob.
“I’ve worked in college athletics for close to eight
years and sometimes things can get complicated,” said Kyle
Krueger, who earned his masters in sports administration at
Kansas in 2003. “When that happens, I think about Dr. Bob’s
fantastically simple explanation: ‘When it comes to the job,
put the student-athletes first.’ I can still remember sitting
in a classroom on the second floor of Robinson, and writing
that down in my notes, and being struck by how simple and
profound that piece of knowledge was.”
I met Dr. Frederick the day I stepped on the University
of Kansas campus after I decided I was going to be a
Jayhawk. My father set up a meeting with Dr. Frederick to
speak to my parents and me about sports management. It was
during the summer of 2006 and I really had no idea what I

to touch us all, but Jayhawk Nation won’t be the same without him.
After stepping down as KU’s athletic director in 2001,
Frederick reached out to another segment of the campus
population as a professor. He taught classes in sports management, sports law, and sports facilities. When my youngest son,
Joe, decided to enroll at KU in 2006, Frederick welcomed our
family into his office and he outlined the sports management
program in great detail. Frederick continued to be an adviser
to Joe and so many others.
We can all learn something from the way “Dr. Bob”
touched the people around him, especially his students. Here’s
a sample of what Joe wrote after attending Bob Frederick’s
memorial service at the Lied Center.

The Jayhawk Go-Giver

Photo: G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images

was going to do for my major. Much like Dr. Frederick, I was
drawn to Lawrence. Both my parents were alumni of KU and
I had lived all of my life in Connecticut. I had no idea what to
expect.
Within an hour, Dr. Frederick filled me in on my path
to graduation from KU. He laid out everything for me: what
classes I should be taking and in what semesters, and what my
goals would be.
More than two years later, October 27, 2008 to be
exact, I had a meeting with Dr. Bob (he turns into Dr. Bob at
this point, as he signed his email this way). I wasn’t on path
to graduate in sports management due to several factors. I
was devastated and lost. Dr. Bob made me feel a lot better
about what was happening because he told me that if I were
to switch to journalism, I could still take some sports management courses, including his sports law class (which by the
way, was the consensus favorite course of fellow students I
spoke to). I never got to take that class, but my biggest regret
is not speaking to him more. He was the perfect role model
and always so accessible.
I asked some friends to offer their reflections on Dr.
Frederick. Eric Wieberg, a KU sports management graduate
and now a graduate student at the University of Texas, said
there isn’t one single memory that stands out.

“Instead, I’ll always remember simply that his classes
were great, and that he was an even better person,” Wieberg
said. “Dr. Frederick reached the highest levels of achievement
in his profession, yet remained extremely approachable, and
made it obvious that he cared for his students and was willing
to help them out—regardless of who they were.
“He will always be a role model for me given his accomplishments as an AD, but more so because of his character and the way he tried to inspire others to conduct
themselves with similar class. Developing a relationship
with Dr. Frederick will always be one of my fondest and most
influential memories of my time at KU.”
Sarah Stokowski graduated from Kansas in 2008 and is
completing her masters in intercollegiate administration at
the University of Oklahoma. She met Frederick during the
fall semester of her junior year and things didn’t go well at
first.
“I had him for sports law and I was kind of intimidated
by him,” she said. “On my first test, I got a 57 percent. He
talked to me and worked with me. We got to really know each
other that way by [him] helping me out with class. He was
always willing to go above and beyond. He cared about me as
an individual. He knew about my situation, particularly because I’m from Chicago, and I was homesick and I was really

Dr. Frederick went out of his way to help Mark Turgeon
break into coaching.
two shared the Lawrence campus, Self’s respect for the man
grew enormously.
“The thing that he did epitomize at all times was class,”
Self said. “Everybody thought he was as professional and as
classy a gentleman as there is, and a great role model, which
I think is a fabulous compliment. I had somebody, who has
been at the university for many, many, many years and is very
well respected at the university, tell me this is the biggest loss
our university has had.”
Dr. Frederick finished that article for Sports Management
Resources with this statement: “We need more people like Knute
Rockne and Easter Heathman leading our young people.”
The same could be said for Dr. Bob.
“I wouldn’t trade those years at KU for anything,”
Frederick said in the book What It Means to Be a Jayhawk,
written by Doug Vance and Jeff Bollig. “I’ve always been
amazed at the emotional attachment that people have to the
University of Kansas. I’m not sure there is another public
university that has such a strong emotional attachment for
alumni as this one seems to have. From my observation, it’s
tied to both the athletic and academic traditions. I believe
they are unique and set us apart from most other public
universities.
“People don’t forget about this place. It becomes part of
their life forever. It certainly has for me.”
And we will never forget you, Dr. Bob. Kansas was a
much better place because of you. MSP
Ken Davis is the author of The University of Kansas Basketball Vault, The
History of the Jayhawks and a national freelance writer.
Joe Davis is a KU student and a correspondent for the Associated Press.

close to my family. He had four boys of his own so he knew
the importance of keeping in touch with your family even
though you’re so far away. In a way, he became my grandpa in
that sense. He always made sure I was okay and made sure I
was calling my mom and was always asking me how my family
was doing.
“In spring when it came time for me to take an internship, Dr. Bob suggested I go to the University of Missouri to
complete my degree. So I went to set up an interview with
[athletic director] Mike Alden, who called [Frederick] up and
he gave me a really good reference. He pretty much got me
my internship. I went there for my interview. I remember
I was so excited when I found out I got it and I called Dr.
Bob and he was excited for me. It didn’t matter that it was
Missouri to him. It just mattered that I was doing what I
wanted to do.
“I walked down the hill at graduation and I remembered
Dr. Bob got me out of the line and took pictures and I was
crying because it meant so much to me. I didn’t want to leave
but knew we’d still keep in touch. I remember coming back to
Chicago right after I graduated before I headed to my internship and Dr. Bob had sent me a package and it was a Mizzou
shirt. I think it was the only Mizzou shirt he ever bought. But
he’s from St. Louis so he told me to represent his home state
and was proud of me and knew that I was going to do a great
job.”
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self didn’t have the opportunity to work directly with Frederick, but in the short time the

An Open
Letter
from the
Dark Side
by Michael Atchison

H

ow strange to be in these pages, like Al Franken riffing
for The American Conservative. It must be strange for
you, too, to see a Missouri guy (or toothless Ozark hillbilly
if you prefer) defiling the sanctity of this holy writ in which
the Jayhawks’ fourth national title is foretold. I can feel your
contempt through the paper. And I like it.
My assignment was to explain why Kansas fans should
look out for Missouri. But instead, let me suggest that you
shouldn’t. Give these Tigers no more thought than you gave
the middling Mizzou squad that beat the juggernaut Jayhawks
in two overtimes in 1997. Pay them no more mind than the
tailspinning Tigers who clipped Kansas when Thomas Gardner
couldn’t miss a three and Christian Moody couldn’t make a
one. And show them no more respect than the Big 12 coaches
who picked Mizzou to finish in the league’s bottom half last
year, only to see the Tigers win 31 games, take the conference
tournament, and advance to the Final Four’s doorstep.
But if you’re inclined to ignore my counsel, the main
reason must be Mike Anderson. After sucking poison from
the program for two years, Anderson won more games in his
third season than any Tiger coach had won before. More than
Bill Self ever won at Illinois or in any of his first three years in
Lawrence. Then Anderson rejected mountains of money from
other schools to plant his flag firmly in Columbia and build
on last season’s promise.
In just seven years as a head coach, Mike Anderson has
restored two programs in decline, taking each to the NCAA
Sweet 16 or beyond. Though the teams he inherited had
become familiar with futility, Anderson has known no failure,
averaging nearly 22 victories per year, winning more than
60% of his postseason games, and displaying an unflinching commitment to doing things his way. The canard that
Anderson’s chaotic defensive style can’t win at the highest

level hasn’t just been discredited. It’s been disintegrated.
When introduced as Missouri’s coach, Anderson said,
“My goal is to win the national championship. I can get it
done here.” It seemed laughable then, but it hardly seems
preposterous now. With less than 12 minutes to play in
March’s Western Regional final, Missouri stood tied with
Connecticut. In just his third year, with a roster full of transfers and freshmen, Mike Anderson got Mizzou to within two
TV timeouts of the Final Four. And with better athletes now
on Missouri’s recruiting radar, there’s cause to believe that he
might someday achieve his goal.
This season, Anderson’s mission is made easier by a
battle-tested backcourt. J.T. Tiller (who smothered Sherron
Collins last year in Columbia) returns for his senior season,
and Zaire Taylor (who struck the fatal blow that night) is
back, too. Sophomore guards Kim English and Marcus
Denmon stand among six returning Tigers who scored 15
or more points in at least one conference game a season ago.
That quartet, plus sophomore Miguel Paul and gifted freshman guard Mike Dixon, will key Missouri’s 40-minute fury.
The frontcourt is less proven, but doesn’t lack promise.
Keith Ramsey, Mizzou’s best post defender a year ago,
returns as the last line of defense, and Justin Safford became
an inside-outside scoring threat late last season, converting
9-12 three-pointers in the final nine games. Gravity-resistant
Laurence Bowers, occasionally explosive (though rarely
healthy) as a freshman, will be asked to help fill the vast void
left by DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons, among the nation’s
most productive forward tandems a year ago. Though results
are hard to project for Mizzou’s relatively untested interior,
it is certain that the entire team will play fast and furious
basketball. I suspect that even the most hardened Jayhawks
fans might admit that this team should be fun to watch.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 103

Missouri fans and players had much to celebrate last season.
I also suspect that somewhere deep inside your shriveled,
coal-black hearts, you’re rooting for the Tigers to sustain
their resurgence, because this rivalry—perhaps the best in
college basketball—deserves to be great again.
Missouri and Kansas have battled since 1907, when James
Naismith coached his final two games for the Jayhawks and
lost both to the Tigers. But our great war really blossomed near
the time of The Great War, when two Hall of Fame coaches
arrived. At a game in 1920, Missouri mentor Walter Meanwell
rose to his feet to argue a call, and a young Phog Allen shouted,
“Sit down, you big boob!” It was the kindest exchange in
Border War history. Allen and Missouri coach Sparky Stalcup
nearly came to blows in 1947, and Jayhawks giant Wayne
Hightower and the Tigers’ towering Charlie Henke actually
did in 1961, sparking the ugliest brawl imaginable.
But the brutality has often yielded beauty. Anthony
Peeler’s 43. Bud Stallworth’s 50. John Brown’s rage. Danny
Manning’s grace. Lee Coward’s ruthless cool. And Sherron
Collins’s extreme retribution last year in Lawrence, an act of
hardcore vengeance disguised as hardwood brilliance.
Back in 1989, Norm Stewart beat cancer because it
sounded like beating Kansas, and that’s just what he did in
those days. His Tigers swept the Jayhawks that year, and again
the next, twice claiming KU’s #1 ranking for themselves. The
teams played on a national stage back then, but despite what

104 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

anyone in Bristol, CT says, rivalries—like politics—are local.
What counts is not in the eye of the beholder but the hearts
of the stakeholders, the fans who have loved their team and
loathed yours for decades. The South Jersey kids who make
their way to Duke don’t harbor a deep-seated distaste for
North Carolina. They put it on with their face paint when
they enter Cameron Indoor Stadium.
But kids from Ottawa and Osawatomie, Osceola and
O’Fallon grow up with the Border War, a tradition passed
through generations of degeneration, steeped in modern day
insanity and Civil War inanity. (The 1860s mythos provides
character, but does anyone think Confederate sympathizers
can be found in the Tigers locker room?) Any given game can
break your heart or make your year, and even bit players in each
program’s history can live forever in memory simply by making
one shot, as Corey Tate and David Padgett have shown us all.
And though these ancient hostilities often prove magical,
until the Tigers triumphed last season in Columbia, Mizzou
had failed to keep up its end of the rivalry in recent years. So
on behalf of Missouri Tigers everywhere, let me apologize
for not beating you often enough over the past decade. We
promise to do better. MSP
Michael Atchison is the author of True Sons: A Century of Missouri Tigers
Basketball.

Chasing the
Directors’ Cup
Can Kansas become a multisport juggernaut? AD Lew
Perkins thinks so.
by Eric Angevine
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this
decade, and to do the other things. Not because they are easy, but
because they are hard... Because that challenge is one that we are
willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which
we intend to win.”

P

resident John F. Kennedy uttered these famous
sentences in September of 1962. A little less than
seven years later, his vision had become reality. Is the
sentiment a tad overblown for analyzing sports? Probably. But
on this 40th anniversary of the moon landing, it behooves us
to remember that great things are accomplished through hard
work, which cannot begin without a vision and the commitment to act on that vision.
Kansas athletics director Lew Perkins articulated his
own lofty vision for the university’s sports teams on paper, in
a strategic plan that was released to the public in January of
2006. The document is available at kuathletics.com, along with
an invitation to fans to hold the department accountable for
its implementation. An ambitious declaration of goals and
principles is laid out, with one, in particular, that draws the
reader’s eye. Goal three reads:
Achieve a top-25 ranking within five years in the annual
Directors’ Cup. The Directors’ Cup ranks the best overall
Division One athletics programs in the nation.
Wait… what’s this? We already have one of the elite
basketball programs in the country! Football and baseball are
improving! Isn’t that enough?
Not for Kansas. Not any more.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 105

KU Features and Analysis

The Directors’ Cup

Kansas Directors’ Cup Finishes Since 2000

Victory in the Orange Bowl gave KU’s Directors’
Cup totals a boost in ’08.
conferences are laid out can vary greatly.”
Carolina routinely does very well in the final Directors’
Cup standings, which are issued June 29, after spring sports
are complete. In 2009 they finished in second place, 271
points behind mighty Stanford, which has claimed 15 straight
crystal paperweights. In fact, the only Cup not won by
Stanford, the inaugural edition, went to UNC. Stanford is the
300-pound gorilla in this fight. We’ll get to them in a minute.
Teams from Chapel Hill scored points in ten men’s and
ten women’s sports this year, the maximum allowed. The
NACDA does not specify which sports are counted; any sport
that crowns an NCAA champion is fair game. In the spring
session alone, UNC earned points in men’s baseball, women’s
golf, women’s and men’s lacrosse, women’s softball, men’s and
women’s tennis, and men’s track and field. That’s 493 points
in a session where Kansas earned just 50, all of which came
from the baseball team’s postseason appearance. Add in 95
from the fall session and 137 from basketball-happy winter
sports, and Kansas placed 72nd. Clearly, the program has a
long way to go, and a short time to get there.
In essence, Lew Perkins has challenged the University of
Kansas to shed its burnished reputation as a basketball school.
In our analogy, he chooses to go to the moon in many sports,
instead of just one or two high-profile revenue sports.

Year

National Rank

Big 12 Rank

Big 12 Leader (Rank)

2009

72

11

Texas (#6)

2008

54

10

Texas (#5)

2007

66

10

Texas (#8)

2006

60

9

Texas (#3)

2005

61

10

Texas (#2)

2004

65

11

Texas (#10)

2003

108

12

Texas (#2)

The Gold Standard

2002

64

12

Texas (#2)

2001

79

11

Nebraska (#13)

2000

82

11

Nebraska (#6)

Stanford. They’re smart, good-looking, and excel at sports.
Don’t you just hate institutions of higher learning like that?
The Cardinal provides the gold standard in terms of

So what is this Directors’ Cup, anyway?
First of all, it’s an actual trophy. A good-sized
chunk of ornately-worked crystal atop a heavy
wooden base. The trophy has been sponsored by
different companies throughout the years, but it has
always been awarded based on the scoring system
tallied by the National Association of Collegiate
Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The organization
was founded in 1966 as a professional association,
and as such, its primary purpose is to provide information, community, and education to ADs from
member institutions large and small.
But let’s be honest, athletic directors are competitive people by nature. By 1993, the membership
had ginned up a little competition to find out who
had the best overall program, to be decided by the
NACDA and USA Today. National retailer Sears
signed up to sponsor the competition, which became
the first-ever Directors’ Cup. Initially, only Division I
schools were measured, but by 1995, separate versions
of the Cup were awarded to D-II, D-III, and NAIA
participants as well.
Programs score Cup points by qualifying for NCAA
championships in both men’s and women’s sports. Any sport
that holds a sanctioned championship counts. Morehead State
and Alabama State earned at least five points for their appearance in opening round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament in 2009, with the winning team eligible to earn more
if they managed to advance further. North Carolina earned
the full 100 points as men’s champions. That was a huge deal
nationally, but it was one small fraction of the Directors’ Cup
standings. Regular season success and conference championships mean bupkes.
“I think that’s the biggest misconception people have.
You can win your conference, but if you don’t qualify for
the NCAA championship, you don’t earn any points,” said
NACDA communications director Julie Work. “The way

Chasing the Directors’ Cup
broad-based, consistent success. There are many reasons for
that success, but one is that the school simply gives itself more
chances to win. Most competing institutions are not willing
or able to sponsor so many programs.
“We sponsor thirty-six sports: nineteen for women, sixteen for men, and one coed,” said Stanford AD Bob Bowlsby.
“We scored in fourteen women’s sports last year, and ten
men’s sports, so we’re good enough in a lot of sports that if
we get eighth in the country in something—a lot of schools
would want to count that—we can sometimes toss that out in
favor of another sport we scored higher in.”
As previously mentioned, programs can score points
in ten men’s and ten women’s sports. There’s absolutely no
rule that says your university can’t sponsor more than 20
sports overall, and that’s what allows a juggernaut program
like Stanford to pick and choose. National titles in men’s
gymnastics and women’s rowing made the cut. Women’s golf
and track and field—eligible to earn points despite hovering
around #40 in the national rankings—were tossed out.
Trying to match that level of excellence across the board
is a daunting task, to be sure. Programs that regularly finish
in the NACDA top ten are a murderer’s row of well-funded
powerhouses. After Stanford, the 2009 top finishers were, in

order: UNC, Florida, USC, and Michigan. Big 12 leviathan
Texas just missed, coming in sixth after nearly winning the
College World Series.
Yep, it’s about money. What isn’t? The three major
components of all-sports success are facilities, coaches, and
athletic scholarships. To lead the country in any one category,
an institution must open up its coffers. Only an elite few
schools can compete in all three areas on an annual basis.
Stanford’s list of facilities is impressive, of course. The
Avery Aquatic Center attracts elite swimmers, divers, and
water polo players. The swimming program’s list of Olympic
medalists begins in 1920 in Antwerp and continues through the
present day. Sailing and rowing teams take to the water from
facilities on San Francisco bay. And golf? You might have heard
of guys like Tom Watson and Eldrick “Tiger” Woods.
It’s not all sunshine and daisies for Stanford, though.
To benefit from these world-class facilities, professors, and
coaches, a potential recruit must score very, very well on
standardized tests.
“You have to go out and find the kid in East Overshoe,
Georgia who is bright enough to benefit from a Stanford
education, and then you have to convince them to leave good
ol’ State U,” said Bowlsby. “In some years, in basketball, for
instance, you might look at the top 100 players and not find
anybody that meets our academic profile. It adds a degree of
difficulty, but it also adds a degree of satisfaction.”
Clearly, an AD has to keep a lot of balls in the air to excel
on the national level. If getting into the top 25 is going to the
moon, Stanford is in another galaxy altogether.

Photo: Patrick Murphy-Racey/Getty Images

Competing in the Big 12

At Stanford, invoking Tiger’s name can even aid in football
and basketball recruiting.

So, where to begin? Looking in our own backyard—our solar
system, if you will—we see several very successful programs
within the Big 12.
As previously noted, Texas is annually in the top ten, and
has regularly led the Big 12 in Directors’ Cup points since
leaping ahead of Nebraska in 2002. In 2009’s final standings,
only Texas A&M joined their Austin-based rivals in the top
25, coming in at #13. Seven Big 12 schools finished in the top
50, with only Nebraska (#31) and Missouri (#36) representing
the North division. The closest Kansas has come this decade
is a 54th-place finish in 2008, which included an Orange
Bowl win by the football team and a national championship in
basketball. It was a huge year for Kansas fans, but the success
didn’t spread far beyond the revenue sports.
The Big 12 is a premier conference, which gives Kansas
the right platform to spring from in a quest for national rankings in other sports. While it’s no fun trying to play catch-up,
the goal might be a little easier to visualize if it’s taken in
smaller chunks.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 107

KU Features and Analysis

Making Progress

That’s what Virginia AD Craig Littlepage did. His six
goals, articulated shortly after he took the top job in 2001, included some solid numbers: By 2012, he wanted the Cavaliers
to own 12 national championships and 70 conference titles.
Notice he didn’t specify which sports would bear the load.
David Storm was Littlepage’s compliance director from
2002–2004. He remembers a department that took Title IX
very seriously.
“To have a truly excellent program, you cannot give short
shrift to half your student population,” said Storm. “Women’s
sports can play a huge role in creating support on campus
and among younger alumni, especially those who are starting
families which include girls who are growing up with different
expectations of athletic success.”
Virginia’s commitment to its women’s programs—along
with traditionally non-revenue-generating sports like lacrosse,
soccer, and tennis—has turned the school into a competitive
force in the stacked Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavalier
baseball team’s run to Omaha pumped up the department’s totals right at the end of last season, allowing UVA to finish eighth
in Directors’ Cup points, with 1,059 on the year.
Maybe it’s too much to expect Kansas to play with the
Texas schools just yet, but suppose each eligible team works
to beat out the old Big Eight teams? Odds are, championship
participation would follow, as would Directors’ Cup points.

108 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Texas leads the Big 12 in all-sports success,
regularly finishing in the top five. Longhorn baseball
is especially dominant.

Photo top: Brian Bahr/Getty Images Photo bottom: Elsa/Getty Images

A commitment to women’s sports is crucial to building a
broad base of support for a strong athletic department.

Before taking the same job at Kansas, Lew Perkins had an
immensely successful, 13-year run as athletics director at the
University of Connecticut. From 1990 to 2003, UConn won
six national titles—four in women’s basketball, one in men’s
hoops, and one in men’s soccer—and was in contention for
several more. Husky teams won 33 championships in various
sports in the ultra-competitive Big East. The football team
in Storrs made a successful transition to 1-A certification,
and became competitive very quickly. Perkins was named AD
of the Year by Street & Smith’s in 2000, a year in which the
teams under his administration garnered an overall winning
percentage of 70.8%.
When Perkins became the 14th AD in KU history, his
name brought hope to some teams that have long operated
in the shadow of men’s basketball. Perkins was known for
invigorating UConn’s football program, and that interested
plenty of people who were tired of being a Big 12 doormat on
the gridiron. And, of course, smiles could be seen on faces in
the women’s basketball offices, as the Huskies, under coach
Geno Auriemma, are national condenders on an annual basis.
There was no doubt that Perkins was being hired to keep
mighty hoops rolling at Kansas, but he was also known as
a department builder: someone who could bring pride, and
money, to the table for non-revenue sports as well.
Older facilities were immediately targeted for upgrades,
and in some cases brand new structures were erected. While
the KU football team continues to play in 89-year-old
Memorial Stadium, generous grants from the Anderson

Photo: Michael Bradley/Getty Images

Chasing the Directors’ Cup
especially disheartening
because it came on the heels
of KU’s much-improved 54thplace finish in 2008, which
was buoyed by a national
championship in men’s hoops
(100 points) and an Orange
Bowl victory from the football
team (72 points).
In last year’s fall session,
Kansas was on pace to match
’08, earning 45 points for a
lower-tier bowl win, and 50
points from the men’s soccer
In the Directors’ Cup standings, a national championship in swimming is
team. The winter session also
worth the same as one in basketball
went well, with 64 points from
family helped to create a new football complex and a strength
men’s basketball, 34 from women’s swimming, and 39 from
center that have dramatically improved the visual appeal of
men’s track and field, allowing the Jayhawks to hold steady at
recruiting visits for Mark Mangino’s program. When football
#56. The program finished weakly, though, limping in with
relocated, some of the team’s space behind Allen opened up
just 50 points from men’s baseball, who were dumped from
for soccer, men’s and women’s track, and softball.
their regional by host (and Directors’ Cup #2 finisher) North
Allen Fieldhouse has been renovated, with the Booth
Carolina.
Family Hall of Athletics as the most visible change. Restroom
Time is running out on the stated strategic goal of a
and concession facilities were also upgraded, and accessibility
top-25 Directors’ Cup finish within five years. The results of
for all fans was improved.
this season and next will provide the program’s only chance to
Jayhawk baseball has been on the rise, with new training
meet that lofty mark within the desired time period. In order
facilities and a scoreboard being added to Hoglund Ballpark.
to score more points, Kansas must qualify for championships
The home field for women’s softball, Arrocha Ballpark, is being
in more sports, which will be difficult. Only ten women’s and
upgraded to meet NCAA championship standards, with chairsix men’s sports are currently sponsored by the school at the
back seating replacing many of the bleachers. Similar improveNCAA level. Arkansas’ 730 total points were good enough
ments have been made to the Jayhawk Soccer Complex.
for 25th-place last season, so if the bar for contention is set at
Perhaps the most surprising improvement is the brandaround 700, KU’s teams would each have to average 43.75 to
new Kansas Rowing Boathouse in Burcham Park. Perkins
have a chance.
called the boathouse “the most satisfying building I’ve ever
If we assume that football and basketball will do fairly
been involved with” at the February 2009 dedication of
well, earning something in the neighborhood of 120 points,
the 14,000 square-foot facility. The student body ratified a
that leaves a lot of ground to be made up. Several other teams
special activities fee to help fund the boathouse, a sure sign
would need to not only qualify, but place highly, to get the
that second-tier sports are a point of enjoyment and pride for
job done. Them’s the breaks when your school offers 20 fewer
more than just the members of the athletics department.
sports than the top department does.
The impact of new facilities, careful coaching searches,
It might not happen right away; that’s okay. The arbiand stronger commitment to all of KU’s teams is difficult to
trary time limit had the effect of kicking the department’s
quantify. Kansas baseball has never finished with a winning
efforts into high gear, and if the strategic plan is realized in
record in the Big 12, despite being league tournament champs
all of its academic and compliance goals, the university and its
in 2006 and qualifying for the NCAA postseason in 2009.
student-athletes are already winners.
Kansas rowing, beneficiaries of that brand-new facility, will
Man’s reach should exceed his grasp. It gives us somehost the first-ever Big 12 championship in their sport, in
thing to strive for. MSP
part because Oklahoma’s recent addition of the sport to their
repertoire gave the conference four active teams.
Eric Angevine is the editor of the MSP Jayhawk Tip-Off. His sportswriting
In the most recent Directors’ Cup standings, Kansas
has appeared at ESPN.com, Baseball America, and Deadspin.com. He is
ranked 72nd, the school’s worst finish since 2003. This was
committed to the notion that KU should be the best at everything.

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 109

History and

Dean Smith (far right) dives
for the ball.

Phog’s
Golden
Season

KU’s 1952 season didn’t
end with the national
championship. The Helsinki
Olympics came next.
by Ken Davis

I

t was the summer of 1948 and Bill Lienhard was working on his uncle’s
farm in Sumner County, KS, when University of Kansas assistant coach
Dick Harp stopped by for a visit. Harp, who had just joined Phog
Allen’s staff, wasn’t in the market to buy wheat. This was a recruiting
mission and the legendary coach had asked Harp to deliver a promise.
“If you come to Kansas, we’ll not only win the conference, but we will
win the national championship in 1952 and we’ll go to the Olympics and win
the gold medal,” Harp told Lienhard, who had been a star on the powerful
Newton High School team.
Harp could barely believe his own words as they left his mouth. Allen,
in all his years at Kansas, had never recruited by promising championships.
But Kansas State was putting together a competitive program in Manhattan
and Allen viewed Wildcats coach Jack Gardner as a legitimate threat. Under
direct order, Harp carried the same message to two more Kansas prospects,
Bill Hougland at Beloit and Bob Kenney at Winfield.
“Of course, when you’re a senior in high school in 1948, the Olympics
weren’t a big deal,” Lienhard said. “There was very little news coverage then,
so it really didn’t mean a whole lot. I lived in Newton, Kansas, and it didn’t
make that big of an impression.”
The tradition of Jayhawk basketball was enough to lure all three players
to Lawrence, but Allen needed one more piece to complete the puzzle he was

Tradition

Kansas crushed Santa Clara 74–
55 in a national semifinal game,
and he tallied 33 more to go with
17 rebounds as the Jayhawks
defeated St. John’s 80–63 for the
title. Allen, at age 66, had finally
won the tournament he helped
create. And Lovellette remains
the only player in Division I
history to lead the nation in scoring (28.4 ppg) and play on the
championship team in the same
season.
In those days, winning the
NCAA title meant the Jayhawks
had qualified for the eight-team
Olympic playoff. That gave
The 1952 Kansas Jayhawks won a national championship, then sent seven players
them little time to enjoy their
and coach Phog Allen on to win gold in the summer Olympics.
championship. Three days after
building for that 1952 season. Allen drove to Terre Haute,
beating St. John’s in Seattle, Kansas opened play with a 92–55
Indiana to personally deliver his promise to Clyde Lovellette,
win over NAIA champion Southwest Missouri State in Kansas
a 6'9" center who had already told Indiana coach Branch
City, MO.
McCracken he would play for the Hoosiers.
“We weren’t back [in Lawrence] very long,” Hougland
“He said, ‘I’ve got this, this, and this from Kansas. I need
said. “The night after winning the NCAA, we got back and
a big guy in the middle and you’re it,’” Lovellette remembers
Doc [Allen] told us, ‘You all go to school tomorrow.’ Kids
Allen saying. “He had told Dick Harp to tell all the guys he
were all over town celebrating. But we all went to school.”
was recruiting in Kansas that if you come to Kansas, we’ll
The victory over Southwest Missouri State meant the
win the national championship in 1952 and we’ll go to the
Jayhawks were on their way to New York, where they would
Olympics and win the gold medal. He recruited all of us with
face NIT champion LaSalle. The team’s flight was delayed
that thought in mind. It turned out to be his prophecy. It all
and the Kansas players were left sitting in the lobby of
turned out the right way.”
the Muehlebach Hotel in Kansas City when Allen learned
Allen was definitely right about “Cumulus Clyde.”
that only officials from the East had been assigned to the
Lovellette became an All-American at Kansas, a true star
semifinals and finals of the playoffs. The Jayhawks had been
on the national scene, and eventually was enshrined in the
through that routine before.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. He
“We wouldn’t move from Kansas City if we were going
was that special player the Jayhawks needed to win their
East and we were going to be officiated by two Eastern offirst NCAA championship. With Lovellette surrounded by
ficials,” Lovellette said. “[Allen] would notify the league that
Kenney, Hougland, Lienhard, and Dean Kelley, Kansas won
we needed a Big Seven official to be working that game. If we
the Big Seven title in 1952 with an 11–1 record.
1951-1952 Kansas Varsity Roster
Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith was on that 1952 squad
No.
Player
Position Height Weight
Class
PPG
too and, although he didn’t play much, Smith was already
16
Clyde Lovellette
C
6’9”
230
SR
28.4
showing his special ability to break down opponents as he
9
Bob Kenney
F
6’2”
185
SR
13.1
17
Bill Hougland
G
6’4”
180
SR
6.8
assisted Harp in game preparation. The plan on offense was
14
Dean Kelley
F
5’11”
165
JR
6.5
pretty simple.
11
Bill Lienhard
F
6’5”
180
SR
5.8
“Clyde was big for his day,” Hougland said. “He didn’t
5
Charlie Hoag
G/F
6’3”
185
JR
5.2
have a lot of speed. Phog just told us to get the ball to him
20
John Keller
G/F
6’3”
185
SR
2.3
and he’d score.”
25
B.H. Born
F/C
6’8”
195
SO
1.7
That’s exactly what the Jayhawks did all the way to the
21
Bill Heitholt
G/F
6’4”
178
FR
1.5
22
Dean Smith
F
5’10”
160
JR
1.5
Final Four in Seattle. Once they got that far, there was no
4
Larry
Davenport
F
6’2”
165
FR
1.4
reason to change a thing. Lovellette scored 33 points as

Phog’s Golden Season
could not get a confirmation, the team would stay in the hotel
until we got that confirmation. Not that a Big Seven official
would give us any breaks. We just felt better.”
Allen didn’t get his first choice, but a Midwest official
did join the crew. The Jayhawks traveled on to New York for
the most critical game of the playoffs. Officiating really didn’t
matter because Lovellette scored 40 points and grabbed 14
rebounds as Kansas won 70–65.
“LaSalle had us down six at the half,” Lienhard said.
“They were a good team. They beat St. John’s in the Olympic
playoffs and then we had to play them. They had Tom Gola
but we came back in the second half and won. That put seven
[Kansas players] in the Olympics. That game was for the college representation.”
Hougland said the Olympic committee wanted only
five Kansas players, but Allen battled to get seven Jayhawks
on the roster. Before the playoff finals against the AAU
champions, the Peoria Caterpillar Diesels, Allen announced
that Lovellette, Hougland, Lienhard, Kenney, Kelley, Charlie
Hoag, and John Keller would be the seven Jayhawks headed
to Helsinki to represent their country. Joining them were five
players from Peoria and two from AAU runner-up Phillips 66,
including Bob Kurland, a seven-foot center from Oklahoma
A&M.
With the roster set, the last order of business was determining the head coach for the Olympic team. Kansas trailed
throughout the championship game until Kelley hit a running
one-hander to tie the score at 60 with 50 seconds left. As
Peoria set up its offense near midcourt, Lovellette stole the
ball from Marcus Freiberger with 15 seconds remaining.
Lovellette had already scored 22 points and he had a free path
to the basket. In the perfect script, Lovellette would have
been the one to fulfill Allen’s dream of becoming Olympic
coach.
But Lovellette also had Kansas players—quicker players
with better ball-handling skills—on either side of him. In
another setting, he might have made the team play and passed
the ball. Instead, Lovellette misjudged his shot, left his feet
too soon and his uncontested layup attempt hit the back of
the rim. Peoria rebounded the miss and passed the ball to
the other end for a game-winning shot by Howie Williams.
Kansas lost 62–60.
Peoria’s Warren Womble became head coach and Allen
would be his assistant. The play remains the greatest regret
in Lovellette’s long career. He cared deeply for Allen and still
kicks himself for not passing the ball.
“I screwed him up,” Lovellette said. “I think of that so
many times. All I had to do was just throw it off to one of the
guys by my side. They could have taken it in and had a good
angle and scored. I don’t think they would have gotten the

ball and come down and scored.
“Phog never said anything about it. None of the Kansas
boys said anything to me that I blew it. But, oh yes, I felt it. I
don’t know what you would call it but stupidity on my part. I
should have given the ball up.”
In Helsinki, the United States was barely challenged.
Led by the seven Jayhawks, the team breezed to the gold
medal game against the Soviet Union. That was a rematch
of the fourth game in Helsinki, won by the US 86–58. The
Russians knew they couldn’t succeed playing an uptempo style
again. But the stall tactic they utilized was nothing new to the
Jayhawks or the other Americans.
“In those days, the other countries were way behind us,”
Lienhard said. “The Russians had a bunch of older guys who
played all the time, but they couldn’t beat us.”
Lovellette led all scorers at the Olympics with a 14.1
average, and the US won the gold medal game 36–25.
“To me that was the top, the cherry on the cake, I guess,”
Lovellette said. “When you go to the Olympics, you’re

History and Tradition
representing the United States. Seven Kansas guys. Number
one, you are representing the state of Kansas. Two, you are
representing the University of Kansas. And third, you are
representing the United States. I just don’t think it gets much
better than going over there and representing those three
great institutions.
“You are an American, one of the few athletes to go
represent your country, and to top it off, to bring back a gold
medal. It can’t get much better. Now [with NBA players
representing Team USA] it’s a shame because college kids will
not have that opportunity. That’s a sad commentary.”
Allen’s lofty promise had been fulfilled. The Kansas
players understood why Allen placed so much importance
on Olympic gold. Allen had been instrumental in basketball’s
acceptance as an Olympic sport in 1936 and led a nationwide
fundraising drive that sent his mentor, Dr. James Naismith,
to the games in Berlin. Naismith, the first basketball coach at
Kansas, was also the first inventor of a game to see his sport
played at the Olympics.
When Allen died in 1974 at age 88, he was buried in his
Olympic USA sweat suit. His former players refer to him as
a “patriot.” Hougland says Allen “loved the university and
loved the USA.”

1951-1952 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results
Opponent

Result

Score

Date

Location

Baylor

W

57-46

12/3

Lawrence, KS

Denver

W

84-53

12/8

Lawrence, KS

Creighton

W

65-47

12/10

Omaha, NE

Southern Methodist

W

74-51

12/14

Dallas, TX

Southern Methodist

W

58-57

12/15

Dallas, TX

Rice

W

68-48

12/18

Lawrence, KS

Southern California

W

76-55

12/22

Lawrence, KS

Colorado

W

76-56

12/26

Kansas City, MO

Kansas State

W

90-88

12/28

Kansas City, MO
Kansas City, MO

Missouri

W

75-65

12/29

Oklahoma

W

71-48

1/5

Lawrence, KS

Missouri

W

60-59

1/12

Columbia, MO

Nebraska

W

69-66

1/14

Lincoln, NE

Kansas State

L

64-81

1/26

Manhattan, KS

Oklahoma State

L

45-49

1/30

Stillwater, OK

Iowa State

W

86-68

2/2

Lawrence, KS
Lawrence, KS

Colorado

W

73-68

2/4

Iowa State

W

55-50

2/11

Ames, IA

Nebraska

W

90-52

2/16

Lawrence, KS

Oklahoma State

W

66-46

2/19

Lawrence, KS

Missouri

W

65-54

2/25

Lawrence, KS

Oklahoma

W

74-55

3/1

Norman, OK

Kansas State

W

78-61

3/7

Lawrence, KS

Colorado

W

72-55

3/10

Boulder, CO

*TCU

W

68-64

3/21

Kansas City, MO

*St. Louis

W

74-55

3/22

Kansas City, MO

**Santa Clara

W

74-55

3/25

Seattle, WA

**St. John’s

W

80-63

3/26

Seattle, WA

†Southwest Missouri

W

92-65

3/30

Kansas City, MO

†LaSalle

W

70-65

3/31

New York, NY

†Peoria

L

60-62

4/1

New York, NY

Today, more than 50 years after seven Jayhawks won the
NCAA trophy and struck Olympic gold, Hougland proudly
displays a picture of his Kansas teammates together on the medal
stand. The photograph is in the library of his Lawrence home.
“I’m corny about this, but the thing that always impressed
me most was playing for your country,” said Hougland, who
also won gold in Melbourne, Australia in 1956. “My best
memory, of anything that happened in my time, is when we
got our gold medal, they raised the flag, played the ‘Stars and
Stripes’ and all of us were standing at attention.” MSP

Ken Davis, a 1980 graduate of Kansas, is the author of The University
of Kansas Basketball Vault, The History of the Jayhawks. He began his
newspaper career as the KU Sports Correspondent for the Kansas City
Star and wrote for The Hartford Courant from 1985-2005. Now a freelance writer based in Connecticut, Davis is the college basketball expert
for NBCSports.com and writes the national college basketball column
for AthlonSports.com. His work has appeared at USA Today, SI.com, The
Sporting News, ESPN The Magazine, Yahoo! Sports, Basketball Times,
and Sports Business Journal.

music camp out here. I was a high school trumpet player, and
my parents thought it would be a good challenge for me to go
out and get instruction from a worldwide group of instructors, and also compete against other musicians from around
the nation and other countries. It was a lifetime experience,
and I got a chance to see how I stacked up against other musicians from around the country.

ud Stallworth’s jersey was raised in Allen Fieldhouse in
2005. He played at KU from 1970–1972 and quickly
became one of the greatest scorers the program has ever seen.
Stallworth’s 1,495 career points were accrued over just 82
games in an era when freshmen did not play, and without the
aid of the three-point line. Nonetheless, he still ranks among
the top 25 all-time KU scorers. An Alabama native, Stallworth
was courted by Auburn and Alabama, but ended up at Kansas
after playing pickup basketball with Jo Jo White under unusual
circumstances.

JTO: And Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen was in
charge of the camp at that time?

Jayhawk Tip-Off: You didn’t come to the Kansas program

Stallworth: Absolutely. He was a trumpet player and so was

in the usual way. How did your musical talents help land you
in a crimson and blue uniform?

I, so fortunately I got a chance to be tutored by one of the
best players in the history of music. But while I was there, I
played some pickup games in the gym, and word got back to
Coach Owens.

Bud Stallworth: Well, my musical endeavors led me to a

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 115

History and Tradition
JTO: Was he a mentor off the court, as well?
Stallworth: Absolutely. I tell him that all the
time. It was hard for me to channel some of my
energies on the court into the more disciplined
style that coaches have. Especially when you’re
playing at an institution like the University of
Kansas, where they have such a great reputation
for their players both on and off the floor, you
have to make a change in how you think about
things. He knew my background—both of my
parents were educators—and he made sure I
didn’t forget about that. One of my goals was
to do well in school and graduate. Through his
pushing and pulling a little bit, I was able to
become one of the first Academic All-Americans
as well as [succeeding] on the floor at the
University of Kansas.
JTO: What career path would you have pursued
if you had never played basketball?

Bud Stallworth realized his dream of playing in the NBA when
Seattle picked him seventh in the 1972 draft.

be being an attorney or an architect. I wanted to
pursue something in one of those fields. I was a
good student in math, but I didn’t want to be a
teacher. My sister ended up being the teacher;
she also attended school out here.

JTO: Younger fans know very little about Ted Owens. What

JTO: Your “cardiac kids” team almost derailed the UCLA

was his coaching style?

dynasty in the 1971 Final Four. What did coach Wooden say
to you after the game?

Stallworth: When I came to Kansas, they were more big
man-oriented, and scored a lot on post-up plays. I was fortunate to play with one of the great big men in the history of
Kansas basketball in Dave Robisch. But also in the recruiting
class we had coming in, we had a couple of guys, including
myself, that had a background in more of an up-tempo style.
With the guys he had as sophomores when I was a freshman,
we began to see a change to a more up-tempo style of play.
I think it was a struggle for him at first to understand
that my style of play was not so much “walk it up and throw
it into the post.” Over time, seeing what kind of player I was
and what kind of talent I had, he tweaked his offense a little
bit. Prior to me playing, Jo Jo White was a point guard/two
guard on the team, and I think his style was similar to mine.
But he had two big guys playing with him and they were more
deliberate also. As time went by, I think Coach Owens may
have changed his philosophy a little bit to where he went
more up-tempo during my career.

116 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Stallworth: I had gotten slightly injured at the beginning
of that game, and wasn’t 100%, not making any excuses,
so I was over there getting some treatment at the team
hotel. Back in those days, we all stayed at the same place.
I was down by the pool getting some ice for my leg, and
he walked by and said, “It’s a nice day, isn’t it? But it could
have been nicer.” It kind of rubbed me the wrong way at
the time, because I had a lot of respect for Coach Wooden,
but it seemed like he was being a little arrogant. Of course,
they had won something like nine in a row, so they had a
reason to be arrogant. But it was a cheap shot at how I was
feeling that day, since they were getting ready to play for
another national championship. They were a great team,
and you can’t take anything away from them, but I think we
represented the university well by getting to the Final Four.
It was one of my goals to play for a championship, and I was
able to come within a game of it.

In the Rafters with Bud Stallworth
JTO: Speaking of jousting with coaches, you used to get into
it with Norm Stewart, didn’t you?

Stallworth: [Laughs] We were great competitors. I was at
Kansas, and he was the head coach at Missouri, so that was
a natural rivalry. I didn’t know the magnitude of it until I
ended up competing against them and I came to understand
that it is a battle. It’s something that both states really, really
take seriously. They don’t like each other when it comes to
the athletic programs.
Coach Stewart was one of those guys who was a great
player at the University of Missouri, then took over the
program and made it one of the top teams in the Big Eight.
When you’re coaching against your biggest rival, you want
to do everything you can to make sure your players are ready
to play hard. The most aggressive way he did that was in my
senior year, because he had a great player in John Brown.
They were a physical team, and we always had to compete
against them that way.
We weren’t having a good year, and they were playing
for a Big Eight championship, and my roommate noticed
an article in the paper right before the game and brought
it to my attention. In it, he was trying to push his guy as
the best player in the Big Eight over me. We were kind of

neck-and-neck as far as having a chance to win that honor,
and I took it personally because I felt like it was a jab at the
Jayhawks and at me personally that I was having a good year
but we weren’t winning, so therefore his player was better
than I was.
So it was our last home game, my mother had come out
for it. I wasn’t really feeling that well beforehand, but I had a
little heart-to-heart with my roommate about how we were
going to let Norm know that we had one more bullet left in
our gun, also.

JTO: Indeed! That 50-point outing against Missouri is usually the first game mentioned when your name comes up.
Are there other games do you recall fondly?

Stallworth: Oh, absolutely! My sophomore year I was
starting, and had more points than any sophomore since
Wilt Chamberlain.
My junior year, we had everything it took to win a national championship. The opening game against Long Beach
State—we didn’t talk much about our defensive capabilities—
we held them to the lowest score of any KU opponent in the
modern era for that time. So I thought I played pretty well
defensively, but I was able to score the ball accurately from
long range, which I think was different from other teams of
that era at the University of Kansas.
JTO: And there wasn’t the three-point line at that time.
Stallworth: Well, that’s something that’s always been a
question for me from the fans and the media. Everybody
knows that I did like to take long shots, which was not one
of Coach Owens’ favorite things. Over time he relented,
and I took better shots, so we became a better coach-player
tandem as I began to realize that every shot didn’t need to
be a 25-footer. But the way that I could shoot from the perimeter that junior season really made things easier for Dave
Robisch and Roger Brown, who were our inside guys. Teams
couldn’t go up and double-team Dave.

JTO: Bob Frederick was one of Ted Owens’ assistants then.

Photo: Malcolm Ali/WireImage

We remember his tenure as athletics director so well, but
what was he like as a coach?

Stallworth still lives in Lawrence today, where he is
involved with KU and myriad local and national charities.

Stallworth: Well, Bob used to work out with me quite a bit
during my junior and senior seasons, because he was here as
a grad assistant. One of the things that Bob was really big
on was conditioning, so I’d follow him around the track at
Lawrence High School during the summer while we were
doing our kids basketball camps, and I always knew that
Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 117

History and Tradition
if I could keep up with Bob, I’d be in condition to play 40
minutes of basketball.
I have to take my hat off to Bob, because it was his call to
Coach Owens during the Missouri game that got me back in
the game with the chance to score 50 points. We had a nice
lead and coach took me out of the game. In those days, not all
of the coaches sat on the bench, so Bob was up with the press
and he called on the two-way phone. He wanted me to go back
in to set the Big Eight single-game scoring record, because
the year before, a great player at Colorado, Cliff Meely, had
scored 47 against Oklahoma. So I was tied with him, and the
only reason I got back in the game was because Bob let Coach
know that I was within a bucket of breaking that record.

JTO: You were drafted in both the NBA and the ABA. Were
those days of great nicknames and flashy players as fun as
they looked?

Bud Stallworth’s Career Stats
Yr.

PPG

RPG

Games

FG%

FT%

1969-70

12.7

6.0

26

43.0

69.9

1970-71

16.9

6.6

30

45.7

64.7

1971-72

25.3

7.7

26

44.7

73.9

Totals

18.2

6.7

82

44.7

69.8

I had an agent, and we talked to them. We knew it would be
taking a chance since not all of the teams were very financially
stable in the ABA, but they had guys like the Doctor, George
Gervin, and Spencer Haywood. But I always wanted to play
in the NBA, and Seattle chose me, too. We didn’t want to be
bargaining back-and-forth between them, so my agent said
whoever gave us the best offer, we would take it. So I ended
up with Seattle [editor’s note: Stallworth later played for the New
Orleans Jazz]. I had a lot of friends who played in the ABA,
but at the time it wasn’t right for me financially.

JTO: A car accident ended your playing career premaStallworth: There were nicknames everywhere back then.
Some of them were printable and some were not.
The ABA was just beginning when I got drafted. I was
picked by the Denver Rockets. They did a secret draft in
January, while the NBA wasn’t until April. So after the season

turely. Then you worked for KU Design and Construction
Management for a couple of decades as a budget manager.
What are you involved with now?

Stallworth: Well, I retired recently from Construction
Management, but I have my own project management
business that works around town. I also host a radio show at
KLWN that’s KU-driven, and through that, I’ve been able to
bring current and former NBA players to town and get them
involved with my charities and have them come on my show.

Stallworth: I’m on the board for Special Olympics of
Kansas, and I do fundraising events for them. I’ve also done
Heart Association of America and the Cancer Society. I
lost my wife a few years ago to cancer, and I’m dedicated
to research in that area. I also lost one of my sons to a
brain aneurysm, and I was recently invited to come down
to Houston to participate in the Phil Niekro fundraiser for
research into that. So most of the charities I get involved
with are ones that hit pretty close to home.
I also like to talk to kids. I have a mentoring program
here in Lawrence for kids who are at risk. I’m a social worker
by degree, and I think that I’ve always known that I’ve been
more fortunate than a lot of people in achieving my dreams,
so I like to make sure I take time to give back and help those
less fortunate. MSP

KU teammate Dave Robisch played against Dr. J in the ABA,
but Bud decided the NBA was the better choice for him.
118 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Eric Angevine is the editor of MSP Jayhawk Tip-Off. His sportswriting has
appeared at ESPN.com, Baseball America, and Deadspin.com. He is committed to the notion that KU should be the best at everything.

Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images

JTO: Which organizations do you work with?

Mario’s Make
Led to Darrell’s
Dunks in
San Antonio
The end of the 2008 NCAA
tournament was an instant
classic. Here’s how it happened.
by Bruno Chu
Basketball places creative and skilled individuals into team-based
strategic contexts. Nowhere was that more evident than in the
2008 national championship game between Kansas and Memphis.
Down three, with seconds remaining in regulation, Sherron Collins
stumbled as he brought the ball into the frontcourt for what was
supposed to be a smooth handoff to Mario Chalmers behind the arc.
As his momentum carried him inside the perimeter, Collins used
his superior athleticism and instincts to flip the ball underhand to
Chalmers instead, who caught it, and fired an improvised shot born
of supreme confidence and hours of practice.
That fortunate made basket, driven by two players reacting
on the fly, led to an overtime period in which surgical precision took
over. Kansas ran the high-low offense to perfection, finding Darrell
Arthur inside for a number of ferocious dunks over the depleted
Tigers frontcourt. Luck, skill, and strategy combined in a perfect
storm to bring the 2008 championship banner to the rafters of Allen
Fieldhouse.

T

he 2008 NCAA Championship game against the Memphis
Tigers is one that Kansas Jayhawks fans will most likely
remember for a lifetime. A come-from-behind, second-half
rally, capped off by a tremendous three-pointer by Mario
Chalmers to send the game into overtime, where the Jayhawks
would eventually prevail.
In the overtime period, the Jayhawks used a combination
of their superior size and the Tigers’ foul trouble to dominate
the final five minutes. A play they went to over and over again
was an option quick hitter out of their base half-court “Fist”

offense, a variation Bill Self calls “Buna Fist.” The Buna is a
four-out one-in half-court offense with three guards on the
perimeter, a forward playing the top of the key, and the center
in the low block. The objective of this play is to take advantage of the Tigers’ hedging defense on a corner pick and roll
in order to get a high-low lob pass into Darrell Arthur.

A Closer Look
As mentioned, the offense is in a Buna set, four-out one-in.
In this case O5 would represent Arthur. O1 dribbles to
the strong side and passes to the wing in the low wing area
not too deep in the corner, then relocates to the opposite

weak-side corner. O2 is at the weak-side wing, O5 is at the
ball-side low block and O4 is at the top of the key,
O3 dribbles his defender down towards the corner as
O5 sprints into the ball screen. The key is for O5 to not pick
a side until the last moment and then pick the high side. O4
does a v-cut to shake off the defender and get into position to
receive a pass from O3.
After O5 sets the screen, the defense attempts to hard
hedge (meaning the screener’s defender tries to block the path

of the ball). The separation between O5 and the defender has
hopefully allowed O3 to beat the hedge and get a clear, crisp
pass to O4 up at the top of the key. O5 rolls to the basket to
receive a lob from O4.
If O4 is unable to lob the ball into O5, the Jayhawks fall
back into their base half-court offense, Fist. O4 reverses the
ball to a guard, O2, and chases into a ball screen.
The Jayhawks under Bill Self have generally been fond of
lobs because of Self’s background in the high-low continuity
offense. As the championship game wore on, the Jayhawks
relied more and more on their size advantage to get easy
baskets. By the overtime period, it was clear that the Tigers
were worn and weary and the Jayhawks took clear advantage,
partially through plays like this one. MSP
Bruno Chu lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada and is currently studying
Education at Simon Fraser University. Bruno has coached several teams
around the Vancouver area and is a freelance writer whose work has appeared on the SI.com Tourney Blog. Read more of his coaching insights at
coachingbetterbball.blogspot.com.

1

3
5

2
4
The screen succeeds and O3 passes to O4, who lobs it to Arthur inside.

Diagram 4
1

5

3

2
4
In the event that Arthur is unable to score, the ball comes back out
and another screen is set.

120 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Darrell Arthur was open for several dunks in OT as the
high-low worked to perfection.

Roy’s Boys Took
Flight Twenty
Years Ago
Probation behind them, the ’89–90
Jayhawks got off to a fast start.
by Eric Angevine

A

s the Kansas Jayhawks prepared for the 1989–1990
season, they might have felt like they needed extrastrength Dramamine to help them endure the rollercoaster ride they’d been on since 1987.
Yes, Danny and the Miracles had won the 1988 national
championship in stunning fashion, overcoming Big Eight
foes Kansas State and Oklahoma—as well as national rival
Duke—along the way. That was the summit. But storm clouds
began to gather almost immediately, beginning with broadcaster Dick Vitale’s public pronouncement that he’d clean the
Allen Fieldhouse floor with a toothbrush if peripatetic coach
Larry Brown returned to guide the Jayhawks’ title defense the
following year.
Confident Kansas fans donned bald wigs and grabbed
their toothpaste, more than ready to serve Vitale a batch of
humble pie. Then the first shoe dropped.
Coach Brown, who had coached three pro teams and
three NCAA teams by 1988, started flirting with UCLA, one
of his former employers. One week after winning a national
championship at Kansas, Brown accepted the Bruins job, then
flip-flopped and turned it down. Two months later, he was
gone for good, back to the NBA and the San Antonio Spurs.
He would never return to the college game thereafter.
Timing is everything, as they say. In late June of
1988, one week after Brown’s departure, the KU Athletic
Department received a letter from the NCAA, informing the
program that it was under investigation for alleged recruiting
violations. That turned into a one-year ban from postseason
play, leaving the Jayhawks without a coach, and without hope
of defending their crown.
A strong list of national candidates for the post was produced, loaded with big names: Eddie Fogler, Gary Williams,
Kansas native Gene Keady. Perhaps it was the looming specter of probation, but none of those known quantities ended up

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 121

History and tradition

in Lawrence. Instead, it was unheralded UNC assistant Roy
mixed bag for the team and its fans. The Crimson and Blue
Williams who got the call. When Ol’ Roy showed up, with his
had shown some spark while on probation, but had faded
“shucks” and “dang,” and “baskeet-bawl,” fan reaction ranged
badly down the stretch. Roy Williams had gained a measure
from dubious to appalled. Was this the best we could do?
of respect from his demanding fan base, but with postseason
The answer was yes, as it turned out.
restrictions now a thing of the past, nothing but a return to
Mark Randall came off of a medical redshirt year ready
the NCAA Tournament would make them happy.
to play. He joined the remnants of the Manning-less Miracles,
The humbled KU program entered the season unand Williams led a proud but overmatched team to a surprisranked—an unaccustomed afterthought on the national scene.
ing 19–12 record. The early schedule was admittedly weak by
Kansas standards, but it featured an 11-game winning streak,
Pre-season NIT
during which the Jayhawks topped 100 points six times. The
Give Roy Williams credit. He understood the KU tradition.
reversal of fortune came in Norman,
Unwilling to ease his team gently
1989–1990 Kansas Roster
as OU paid back the championship
into the season with easy wins over
No.
Player
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
CL
game pain with a 123–95 win. Duke
Division II programs and small confer35
Todd Alexander
G
6’2
190
Fr
also took revenge, pasting Kansas
ence bottom-dwellers, the second-year
3
Terry Brown
G
6’1
185
Jr
102–77 in the middle of what
coach set his sights on Madison Square
20
Rick Calloway
F
6’6
190
Sr
33
Jeff Gueldner
G-F
6’5
190
Sr
became an eight-game slide for the
Garden, home of the pre-season NIT.
24
Alonzo Jamison
F
6’5
235
So
’Hawks. The ’89 season ended with
The field was eclectic as usual.
30
Adonis Jordan
G
5’11
160
Fr
a final act of year-late payback, as
Jerry Tarkanian’s UNLV Runnin’
32
Mike Maddox
F
6’7
210
Jr
the K-State Wildcats booted KU
Rebels lived up to their team nickname,
44
Pekka Markkanen
C
6’10
215
Jr
from the first round of the Big Eight
with a powerful lineup that feared no
43
Macolm Nash
F
6’7
195
So
Tournament in Kansas City, ending
one. The LSU Tigers featured the
14
Kevin Pritchard
G
6’3
180
Sr
42
Mark Randall
F
6’9
230
Jr
their season.
twin towers of Shaquille O’Neal and
31
Kirk Wagner
F
6’7
210
Jr
Therefore, the beginning of
Stanley Roberts, both well over seven
34
Freeman West
F
6’5
210
Sr
the ’89–90 season was an emotional
feet tall. Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble

Larry Johnson led UNLV to the 1990 NCAA title, but couldn’t get past KU in November.

Photo: Getty Images Staff

Roy’s Boys Took Flight Twenty Years Ago
had Loyola Marymount running Paul Westhead’s high-octane
offense at a breakneck pace. The rest of the bracket was a
minefield of capable programs.
The Jayhawks drew a home game in the first round.
Head coach Gene Bartow led his UAB Blazers into Allen
Fieldhouse, a building that was already 23 years old when
he left UCLA in 1978 to create the Birmingham Athletic
Department from scratch. The team from Alabama had no
answer for KU’s tradition or for Roy’s beloved fast-break offense. Kansas won handily, 109–83.
After cruising at home, the Jayhawks needed one more
win to get to MSG for the semifinals. It was a feat that
seemed anything but likely, given the stature of the team
standing in their way. The LSU Tigers were the #2 team in
the nation, and the game would be contested in Baton Rouge.
Louisiana State’s basketball squad had the most coveted, and
feared, frontcourt in the nation. The pre-season practice
battles of young seven-foot monsters Stanley Roberts and
Shaquille O’Neal had already become legendary in college
basketball circles. Both were forces on the defensive and offensive ends of the court.
But the Twin Towers were not the only reason Dale
Brown’s Tigers were so highly respected. Sophomore floor
general Chris Jackson (known as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in
his NBA days) was the true engine that made LSU run. The
superstar guard befuddled opponents with his ability to drive
inside, pull up for the three, or pass to the open man with
equal alacrity. As a freshman, he had dropped 50-plus points
on Florida and Tennessee, en route to a freshman record
30.2 points per game. He was the most exciting player Baton
Rouge had seen since Pete Maravich.
To face LSU’s big three, Kansas ran out a much lessheralded starting lineup. Point guard Kevin Pritchard was a
tough, brainy holdover from the 1988 championship squad.
Ricky Calloway was a smooth shooting guard who had transferred from Indiana. 6'5" Jeff Gueldner was a low-scoring
senior who was beginning to find his shooting stroke from
inside and out. To counter Roberts and O’Neal, Kansas paired
6'9" junior Mark Randall and a skinny 6'10" newcomer from
Finland by the name of Pekka Markkanen.
Consumer confidence was low. But Roy Williams had a
plan.
The two-part strategy called for the undersized Kansas
big men to create space in the middle, and asked the guards
to keep Jackson out of the paint as well, forcing him to
score with lower-percentage jump shots, and eliminating his
lightning-quick drives to the hoop.
Junior pivot Mark Randall was the key to the first half
of the plan. His deft shooting touch allowed him to find the
net from outside the paint, drawing O’Neal further from the

basket as the game wore on. Randall scored 26 points and
goaded a frustrated Shaq into defensive foul trouble. The
LSU center fouled out with 3:42 remaining in the game. He
was limited to 10 points and seven rebounds on the night.
KU’s team defensive effort on the perimeter kept Jackson
from taking over the game. It didn’t look like a victory in the
box score—the Tiger star scored 32 points—but the Jayhawk
guards harassed Jackson into a 4-17 second half. It was a crucial containment of the sophomore who had proved his ability
to break the half-century mark when necessary.
As Jackson cooled off, junior college transfer “Downtown”
Terry Brown heated up for the visitors, pouring in four of five
three-pointers down the stretch to power the Jayhawk win.
Pritchard put the nail in the coffin with a crucial free throw in
the final seconds to put Kansas up by four. The final tally was
89–83. Kansas had slain the giant.
All over Mount Oread, bars and dorm rooms reverberated with whoops and hollers as students realized what had
happened. Their young coach was for real. Their previously
untested lineup was going to work. Their beloved team was a
force to be reckoned with again.
Roy’s Boys had beaten the #2 team in the country on
the road. Their reward? Another long trip—this time from

History and tradition
By this point, it was pretty obvious that Kansas would
not be denied. St. John’s tried to slow the pace of the game,
but the Jayhawks led by 13 at halftime. The Redmen mounted
a furious second half comeback, but Kansas ended the game
on an 11–1 run, eventually winning by a score of 66–57.
The Kansas Jayhawks were the pre-season NIT champions. Their gutsy run had catapulted them from “also receiving
votes” to the dizzying heights of the #4 spot in the national
polls. Roy’s Boys had sent a message: “We’re Baaaaack!”
“I thought that was good for us,” said Roy Williams after
the game. “I wanted to see what the heck we were made of.”

St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca could not prevent KU
from winning the pre-NIT crown.

Having started the season 4–0, Williams was not about to
let his foot off the gas. The Crimson and Blue plunged into
non-conference play, beating their next 15 opponents by an
average margin of 31 points. Before the Jayhawks suffered
their first loss of the season, on the road at #4 Missouri on
January 20, they had amassed a 19–0 record.
Along the way, Kansas had scored a surprising victory
over another elite program: the Kentucky Wildcats. Rick
Pitino’s squad was laboring through a post-Eddie Sutton
probationary downturn that must have looked familiar to Roy
Williams, who had lived through the same thing one season
prior. Nonetheless, both teams had to take the floor, and the
shot clock was running. Kansas beat their fellow bluebloods by
a score of 150–95, a record score differential for both schools.
Terry Brown shot the lights out in that game, scoring 31
despite an unusual shooting motion, in which he launched the
ball from behind his head with his elbows bent at a 90-degree
angle.
During the streak, Roy Williams’ fast-breaking squad
had topped the century mark six times, to the delight of
Kansas fans everywhere.

Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Roy’s Boys Took Flight Twenty Years Ago
1989–1990 Individual Player Statistics (Part 2)
The Big Eight schedule was also
Player
FGs
-Att
FG Pct
3FGs - Att 3FG Pct
FTs - Att
FT Pct
PF - Dq
loaded with land mines that season. KU,
Pritchard
177
337
52.5
46
108
42.6
106
130
81.5
81.5
84 - 0
after losing to a top-five Mizzou team, beat
Randall
183 - 305
60.0
0-1
0.0
100 - 148 67.6
67.6
79 - 3
#9 Oklahoma in Lawrence, then met the
Calloway
178 - 327
54.4
8 - 17
47.1
94 - 128 73.4
73.4
85 - 0
Tigers again in an epic one-vs.-two matchBrown
138 - 311
44.4
89 - 208
42.8
21 - 32 65.6
65.6
34 - 0
up in Lawrence. Norm Stewart had Roy’s
Gueldner
117 - 222
52.7
69 - 142
48.6
71 - 91 78.0
78.0
73 - 0
number that year, as the Gold and Black
Maddox
133 - 233
57.1
0-1
0.0
31 - 57 54.4
54.4
93 - 0
Markkanen
90 - 155
58.1
–
–
54 - 90 60.0
60.0
76 - 1
swept the season series and snatched the top
West
78 - 131
59.5
–
–
49 - 81 60.5
60.5
59 - 0
spot from their most hated rivals. Kansas
Jordan
33 - 97
34.0
14 - 40
35.0
25 - 36 69.4
69.4
32 - 0
climbed back atop the rankings before
Jamison
35 - 57
61.4
0-1
0.0
13 - 26 50.0
50.0
24 - 0
losing to #5 OU in Norman. The Sooners
Wagner
28 - 47
59.6
–
–
8 - 16 50.0
50.0
15 - 0
rose to #1 in the polls before ousting the
Alexander
8 - 22
36.4
4 - 13
30.8
6 - 9 66.7
66.7
11 - 0
Nash
6 - 13
46.2
–
–
7 - 15 46.7
46.7
15 - 0
then-#2 Jayhawks from the Big Eight
Jayhawks 1204 - 2257
53.3
230 - 531
43.3
585 - 859 68.1
68.1
680 - 4
tournament in the second round.
Opponents
934 - 2123
44.0
143 - 441
32.4
521 - 759 68.6
68.6
791 - 31
Kansas, picked to finish between sixth
and dead last in the Big Eight, finished the
conference slate tied for second, with an 11–3 mark. Steady
Pritchard was named to the All-Big Eight team.
senior point guard Kevin Pritchard had led the team in scorElectrifying Ricky Calloway earned Newcomer of the Year
ing, averaging 14.5 points per game. Junior forward Mark
honors. Head coach Roy Williams earned the Henry Iba
Randall shot over 60% from the field, a distinction he would
Award after being voted best coach of 1990 by the United
hold throughout his career at Kansas. Calloway, Brown, and
States Basketball Writers Association.
Gueldner also averaged double figures that season. Adonis
Jordan showed his ability to take over at point while serving
The Tournament
as Pritchard’s backup.
Kansas entered the NCAA Tournament with a 29–4 record,
good enough for the #2 seed in the East region, sandwiched
between #1 Connecticut and #3 Duke. All of the teams the
Jayhawks beat to win the pre-season NIT were there as well.
St. John’s was a six seed in Kansas’s quarter of the bracket,
and UAB showed up as a 10 in the East. LSU had been
seeded #5 in the Southeast, and UNLV had cruised to the
top of the West region.
The Big Eight was also well represented. Oklahoma
had snagged the top seed in the Midwest after winning the
conference tourney, and regular season-champ Mizzou was
#3 in the Southeast. Lon Kruger and his K-State Wildcats
had eked into the Midwest at #11.
Roy Williams was in his first NCAA Tournament as a
head coach, and his team looked shaky from the get-go. The
Jayhawks played it too close for comfort in the first round,
beating the outgunned Robert Morris Colonials by just eight
points. The poor showing proved to be foreshadowing, as
Kansas fell to Jim Harrick’s UCLA Bruins in the second
round in Atlanta.
It was not to be Kansas’s year. The most memorable moments of the 1990 NCAA Tournament belonged to another
pre-season NIT participant: the Loyola Marymount Lions. A
high-scoring team coached by Paul Westhead, the Lions were
reeling from the on-court death of star player Hank Gathers,
who had collapsed during a March 4 West Coast Conference
Rick Pitino’s Kentucky team suffered a 150–95 December
setback in Allen Fieldhouse.
tournament game—the victim of an undiagnosed heart

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 125

History and tradition
1989–1990 Jayhawks Schedule And Results
W/L

Score

Date

Location

*Alabama-Birmingham

W

109-83

11/15

Lawrence, KS

*LSU

W

89-83

11/17

Baton Rouge, LA

*UNLV

W

91-77

11/22

New York, NY

*St. John’s

W

66-57

11/24

New York, NY

Idaho

W

87-58

11/30

Lawrence, KS

MD-Baltimore County

W

86-67

12/2

Lawrence, KS

Tennessee-Martin

W

103-48

12/4

Lawrence, KS

Southern Methodist

W

86-53

12/6

Dallas, TX

Kentucky

W

150—95

12/9

Lawrence, KS

Pepperdine

W

98-73

12/16

Lawrence, KS

Arizona State

W

90-67

12/22

Lawrence, KS

Texas-Pan American

W

103-83

12/29

Kansas City, MO

Stanford

W

83-61

12/30

Kansas City, MO

Wichita State

W

93-66

1/4

Wichita, KS

Winthrop

W

94-51

1/6

Lawrence, KS

Nebraska

W

98-93

1/8

Lincoln, NE

Miami

W

100-73

1/10

Miami, FL

Oklahoma State

W

91-77

1/13

Lawrence, KS

Elizabeth City State

W

132-65

1/18

Lawrence, KS

Missouri

L

87-95

1/20

Columbia, MO

Kansas State

W

85-57

1/27

Manhattan, KS

Colorado

W

90-69

1/31

Lawrence, KS

Oklahoma

W

85-74

2/3

Lawrence, KS

Oklahoma State

W

83-76

2/7

Stillwater, OK

Iowa State

W

88-83

2/10

Ames, IA

Missouri

L

71-77

2/13

Lawrence, KS

Nebraska

W

94-67

2/17

Lawrence, KS

Colorado

W

103-71

2/21

Boulder, CO

Kansas State

W

70-58

2/24

Lawrence, KS

Oklahoma

L

78-100

2/27

Norman, OK

Iowa State

W

96-63

3/3

Lawrence, KS

**Iowa State

W

118-75

3/9

Kansas City, MO

**Oklahoma

L

77-95

3/10

Kansas City, MO

Robert Morris

W

79-71

3/16

Atlanta, GA

UCLA

L

70-71

3/18

Atlanta, GA

†

†

*Pre-Season NIT
* *Big 8 Tournament
†
NCAA Tournament (East Regional)

126 | Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010

Playing behind Kevin Pritchard, Adonis Jordan showed
flashes of the leader he would later become.
condition. Gathers’ best friend, Bo Kimble, a natural righty,
shot and made three left-handed free throws in the NCAAs
as an homage to his fallen teammate. The team’s high-tempo
offense and unified desire to win for Gathers got them as far
as the Elite Eight, where they fell to UNLV 131–101.
Having thus eliminated the sentimental favorites, the
Runnin’ Rebels went on to win the 1990 title by beating
Georgia Tech in the Final Four, and Duke in the championship game.
Disappointment over Kansas’s poor showing in the
tournament was tempered by the realization of just how far
the team had come in a very short time. Expected to stumble
after their year of NCAA probation, with an inexperienced
head coach, the Jayhawks had exploded out of the gate and
declared themselves as national contenders. From a rotation
that was considered to be less than elite by most pundits, several enduring fan favorites emerged. Roy’s Boys had endured
difficult times and low expectations, and they had responded
with toughness and teamwork.
Kansas was back in the hunt. MSP
Eric Angevine is the editor of Jayhawk Tip-Off. His writing has appeared
in Baseball America, and he is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He was
a junior at Kansas in 1989–90, and was one of those students who was
whooping it up when the Jayhawks won the pre-NIT crown.

ne brisk winter day way back in 1891, Dr. James
Naismith woke from his slumber, put on his fashionable
Teddy Roosevelt-style glasses, gave his mustache a brisk
comb-through, and began composing a document that would
rival the US Constitution for the effect it ultimately had on
American culture: The 13 Original Rules for “Basket Ball”
Kansas fans know the rest of the story: Naismith would
later create the Kansas basketball program, become the team’s
first head coach, lead the squad to 55 wins and 60 losses
during his nine seasons, and ironically become the only coach
in Kansas history to exit with a losing record. Unfortunately,
too few know the secret behind Naismith’s original set of
guidelines: There were actually 13 additional rules, forever
lost to the passage of time.
Or so we thought.
After years scouring the dusty archives of the KU library,
we have found the additional baker’s dozen of Naismith’s
rules. And so now, for the very first time, we present the
great doctor’s surprisingly prescient (and in some cases, odd)
original vision for the game of “Basket Ball.”

Rule 14: If a player takes more than one and a half steps on
his way to the basket without batting the ball on the ground,
or “dribbling” if you will, that player will be penalized for
“traveling,” unless said player is a superstar the league uses
to bring in (x) amount of profits, (x) will be determined on a
yearly basis, accounting for inflation.

Rule 16: At some point in the future, when a communications device can link various telegraphs from around the
world instantly, there will be a period of one month that
will be devoted entirely to the sport of collegiate basketball.
The event will be named for the month it takes place and a
synonym for “insanity” starting with the same letter of the
month. For example: “December Dementia” or “November
Neurosis.” Something like that.

Rule 17: If a player accidentally calls a timeout during a
pivotal moment of a national championship game when, in
fact, the team has already used its final timeout, that player
will be remembered for nothing else during the rest of his
playing career.

Rule 18: If a winner has not been determined at the end
of regulation and after seven periods of overtime, the victor
will be determined by the team who can collectively spit
sunflower seeds the furthest in distance. If that is also a tie,
the winner will be determined by a chili cook-off. If that is
also a tie, the winner will be determined by the first team to
say “I win!”

Rule 19: If a player transforms into a werewolf at any time
during a game, the team with the wolf-player will forfeit the
contest outright and the player will be suspended until the
next full moon.

Rule 15: The above rule will be extended to every player in the

Rule 20: If a player or coach mentions my status of being

unlikely event that the earth’s gravitational pull ceases to exist.

born in Canada, they will be suspended for life from the

Jayhawk Tip-Off 2009–2010 | 127

History and tradition
game of basketball. If anyone not connected to the sport
mentions it, they will immediately meet me outside of
whatever building they are residing in to collect a patented
Naismith whooping of a to-be-determined length.

Rule 21: If a player fails to perform satisfactorily in his
collegiate studies, he will be ineligible to participate in
collegiate basketball contests. First and foremost, a player’s
time spent in college should be used to advance his scholarly
learning … [Ed Note: the rest of the sentence is obscured by
what appears to be tears caused from the author’s laughter].

leaves to return to his alma mater, in which case he will be
praised for following his heart.

Rule 24: The baskets will be maintained consistently at a
height of ten feet above the court unless a broadcast network
that, at one point, aired a steady rotation of “musically
enhanced visuals” creates a program featuring celebrities
playing the game of “Basket Ball.” In that case the baskets
may be moved higher, as long as they are worth more points
for a shot made. Like, ten points.

Rule 25: The final three spots of a roster will be made up
Rule 22: Any player caught using unapproved methods to
rehabilitate or strengthen their body will be suspended for a
to-be-determined length of time. Currently approved methods include stretching, ice water baths, Dr. Smith’s cure-all
tonic, leeches, bloodletting, and animal sacrifice.

of individuals of no discernable basketball skill, whose job
will consist solely of rooting on their fellow teammates, delivering high fives when necessary, and locking arms during
the exciting final minutes of an important game.

Rule 26: Missouri sucks. MSP
Rule 23: If a head coach leaves his job before the end of
Rick Paulas is a freelance writer currently residing in Los Angeles who
has yet to write a single sentence that is good for society. Some of those
sentences can be found at McSweeney’s, ESPN Page 2, Radar Magazine,
and The Heckler’s Prospectus.